Until You're Safe
by dexday
Summary: Piper and Nicky tend to get into rouble a lot. Upon one of their drunken adventures they meet Alex Vause, a beautiful police officer. Rated M for later chapters. This is my first story so please review!
1. Chapter 1

\- 1 -

Piper was sitting on a hard metal bench. She was beyond pissed. Beyond thinking straight (ironically…). Her foot was rattling up and down at a super high speed – a small token of her nervousness and, let's admit it, fear. The tapping was getting louder and faster by the minute

Could you please… – said Nicky.

Oh no, you don't! You DO not get to talk to me! – the pissed blonde snapped.

OK… Jeez…

They were locked up in the county jail cell. It was cold, damp and dark. They could hear some women arguing with the wardens, screaming that they hadn't been working the street, just going for a walk. Well, in that amount of clothing on them they might have been trying to get to some nude meach…

You do know that it's not entirely my fault… – Nicky tried again.

NOT YOUR FAULT?!

 _ **flashback**_

 _They were having a great time. The first year of college was finally over and everyone was looking forward to some summer fun. Piper, Nicky and Polly were heading back home from an epic party organized by Pete, Polly's boyfriend._

 _That Larry guy was really sweet, Piper… Have you thought of going back to dick? He was so cute. Why didn't you give him your phone number?! – Polly slurred._

 _Are you kidding me? Did you see that tweed jacket he was wearing – sniggered Nicky, who was clearly equally intoxicated as the other two._

 _Yeah, I am definitely NOT going back to dick for that creature. Besides, he was soooo boring. Mr. Smartpants, Mr. I-Knot-It-All, ugh. Nope, thanks but THANKS._

 _Speaking of pants… I'm pretty damn sure his pants remember the Columbus times. – Nicky laughed out._

 _Piper couldn't help but bursting out too, spilling the rest of her drink which she was still holding in her hand. She felt happy, free and careless. Polly was her best friend since early childhood but she didn't really get her anymore. It wasn't until Piper met Nicky, with whom she attended classes at the university, that she truly started to discover who she really was. Her future plans had changed profusely. Kids? Maybe that was a "yes"… Husband? A very definite "NO." A nice house with a white fence? Yes, someday, but rather with a nice, smart girl, not a man._

 _At the time, though, what she wanted was having fun, enjoying life, discovering herself and thanks to the money she had been given by her beloved grandmother ("Go, child! Experience the world! Let me see you put a good use to this cash while I'm still around."), Piper was fully able to let herself go. The new wave of independence was so good. She could finally set free from her fucked-up drunkard mother and her notoriously cheating father. None of them had ever truly accepted Piper's way of life. She told them she was gay at a quite early age and even though she did not really have big experience with women, she was sure that she was a lesbian. Meeting Nicky and her cool crowd, going to gay clubs and getting to know the society better only ensured her in her feelings. She hadn't had a steady girlfriend so far. Everyone seemed just so vague and kinda boring. She'd never told it anyone, but deep in her heart she was still waiting for "that special one." The fact was that Piper, despite her cool and laid-back behavior, was a true romantic – something she would never EVER admit to anyone, especially Nicky. She wouldn't stop harassing her for it._

 _The money Piper was given by her grandma were put to a good use, alright. She not only spent it on trivial things but first and foremost she invested it into her education. At the moment she was studying art and literature at the Smith._

 _BUT school was over now and Piper was having fun. Lot' .It._

 _Hey! There's another party at Lorna's! Do you guys wanna tag along? – asked Nicky hopefully and Piper couldn't help the smirk that adorned her pretty face._

 _You've got it bad, Nichols._

 _What? I don't know what you're talking about. I just want to see if there's any free Tequila left there…_

 _Suuuuuure… - teased Piper, who still was not able to stop her lips from smiling._

 _I'm actually out. I need to go to my mother's friends' house tomorrow morning – announced Polly and Nicky's arms slumped a little._

 _She expected Piper to follow her childhood friend._

 _You know what? I'm in. Let's go to Lorna's!_

 _Nicky's face was suddenly enlightened by a 100 voltage grin._

 _Yey! Let's rock that party!_

 _OK, you guys. So I'm off. You two have fun! – and off Polly went._

 _Piper and Nicky started to walk to Lorna's house, which was actually a nice huge mansion. That's why most of students' parties were held there. It was quite a long way from where the girls were at the time. Annoyingly, there were no cabs in the near vicinity so they decided to take a stroll, buying some beer in a liquor store on the way. After about 15 minutes of walking they managed to dawn the beers and they were getting pretty tired. When they were passing by an old locked-up football pitch Nicky said they should take the shortcut across the pitch._

 _It's locked for a reason, Nicky. Besides, we would have to jump over the fence. – said Piper with a worry in her eyes. She was still quite resistant to breaking the law, per say._

 _Are you chickening out, Chapman?_

 _Of course NO… - yet she was never willing to admit that she truly was chicken-shit._

 _Oh, c'mon. What on earth could go wrong?_

 _ **end of flashback**_

NOT your fault?! Whose idea was it? Who the hell decided to go on the roof of the grandstands?

I just wanted to see the stars better. Besides, I didn't see you opposing nor complaining, now did I?

In a second I'm gonna punch that fucking head of yours so hard you're gonna see fucking stars in here, you asshole!

Ha, ha, ha… You wouldn't dare…

I dare say I could kill you right about now… – growled Piper.

That's a threat that I DARE say could land your ass in a jail… No, wait, you're already here…

Nicky was laughing like crazy, somehow completely not worried that they were BOTH in a jail cell at the moment, and Piper jumped to her friend with a plan to grab Nicky's shirt when she suddenly heard the sexiest raspy voice she had ever heard before.

Your friend might be right there. Threatening to kill can get your ass in prison pretty fast, in fact.

When Piper turned around she was faced with a tall dark-haired woman. She was wearing tight black skinny-jeans, white shirt and a leather jacket that was hugging her in all the right places. Her sexy rider's boots made her look even more smoking hot. Her face was adorned with black rimmed glasses which made her astonishing green eyes huge. She had the aura of professionalism around her but the smirk dancing on her kissable full lips showed that she really didn't mean to charge Piper with anything.

I was just joking… – started Piper. Somehow her throat managed to go completely dry.

I sure hope so. – both the bemused beauty and slightly shaken Nicky said at the same time.

The woman opened the stinky jail cell and asked both Nicky and Piper to get out. She led them to a brightly light office with one desk and a few plastic chairs. It smelled of shitload of cigarettes and vomit. Definitely not a nice environment, especially to someone so heavily hangovered as Piper at the time.

So… What's your story, girls? Did you try to steal some football bats?

Err… You don't use bats in football. – stated Nicky laughing quietly, her eyes full of merit.

She liked the woman already. She could also see where that conversation was heading and it put her at ease. Piper seemed oblivious and still scared, which only further amused the crazy-haired girl.

So were you trying to renovate the old roof or something?

Yeah, we were trying to decorate it with beer bottles and vomit stains, applause to Piper here. – Nicky had a blast at Piper's expanse.

Nicky! – Piper was, on the other hand, horrified with her friend's behavior. She was sure they were going to get back to the jail cell if she didn't stop joking around.

Can't you ask us some real questions instead of this dumbass ones? – Nicky continued, spiking Piper's distress to its limit.

Well… What can I say? Dumbass questions for those who commit dumbass crimes. – laughed the woman, who in the meantime turned out to be some sort of detective.

So what now? – asked Piper, who was obviously still shitting her pants a little bit.

It depends… – smiled the cop brightly sending weird shivers down Piper's spine.

On what? – snapped Nicky, still playing her role of an asshole here.

Please, Nicky, stop it…

Yeah, Nicky, you better stop it. If I were you, I would stop it right now 'cause, you see, Piper here doesn't have a record yet. I'm afraid I can't say the same about you, now can I? – the cop suddenly turned more serious.

That thing back then was just weed…

Well, another dumbass way to get caught, don't you think?

Both Piper and Nicky shut up. This time Nicky thought she really had read the cop completely bad. All of a sudden she was a little worried as well, although something was telling her hat this policewoman was just pulling her leg right now. She didn't want to risk it, though.

Please, officer, we didn't mean any harm. We were just trying to cut our way. We didn't destroy anytning.

The beautiful woman laughed again and it yet again sent shivers down Piper's spine. It kinda infuriated the blonde. She really didn't want to feel that way about a person who was about to decide if they were totally screwed or not. It just didn't seem right.

You know what? OK, let's say you're lucky tonight. I'll let you both go this time.

You will? – Piper's eyes went wide, which made the cop laugh some more – Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Calm your pant, Chapman! – snapped Nicky.

OK. Let me get you out of this shithole but if I catch you again anytime soon, you'll be in real trouble. GOT IT?

Yep! – both Piper and Nicky shouted.

When they exited the police station they saw Lorna waiting for them.

How did you know we were here? – Nicky was pleasantly surprised.

My cousin, Vinnie, called me. He works here and he recognized you. I thought you would need a ride home or something so I'm here. – smiled Lorna. – Chapman, do you want us to drop you off at your place?

Piper could see that Nicky was hoping for a few minutes alone with Lorna so she smiled and declined the offer.

Nah, you two go ahead. I'll take a walk, clear my head. Besides, it's already light so no worries.

It was already past 4 am and the sun was starting to rise.

OK but let me know when you get home. – pleaded Nicky. She was a really good friend.

Sure thing.

The girls left and Piper was standing alone at the steps of the building. She took a deep breath happy to be out of that fucking dungeon.

I'm sorry you had to spend full five hours in that shithole.

She suddenly heard the now so familiar husky voice and she jumped a little bit out of surprise.

Didn't mean to scare you. – chuckled the dark-haired woman.

She was leaning on the building's wall smoking a cigarette.

No ride home, Champman? – she continued.

There was that mischievous smile on her perfect kissable lips and Piper couldn't help but smile a little bit herself (Wait a second… Kissable? Where did that come from?!).

Well, no. I was thinking of a walk. I live not far away from here. – she lied.

Yeah, I know… 4 mile walk must be awesome at dawn…

Piper turned red upon being caught on a lie.

Morning exercise… – she tried to safe her face.

I am a cop after all. I've checked where you live, you know. You should've known that.

The brunette laughed some more and Piper started to hate herself a little bit more as well because she didn't like the way her body reacted to the cop.

Yeah, you're a cop and I don't even know your name. You do realize that if you decided to charge us with anything, you would be in trouble for not introducing yourself and reading us our memoranda rights.

Some other cop did that when he arrested you. Besides, I wasn't planning to cause you any trouble. That trespassing was just a stupid stunt.

Yeah, still…

Alex Vause.

The woman extended her hand and when Piper took it in hers to shake, she could swear she felt something quite close to a lightening bold going right through her. Alex also felt it and as much as she was shocked at her own reaction, she was also intrigued. The hard core police officer had never felt anything like that before.

So hop in. – said Alex as she opened the passenger door to her police car.

Wow… Full police car with lights and everything. – joked Piper.

It's not like you haven't been in one before. Like last night? Rings a bell or were you too drunk to remember the blue lights? I can turn them on, you know…

Ha, ha… Funny. – yet Piper could feel herself starting to be turned on and she really didn't want that.

I'm not going to let you walk at the break of dawn. Protect and serve, right? – winked Alex and Piper's heart did a small somersault.

During the ride home Piper felt surprisingly comfortable. There was no uneasy silence in the car. Talking to Alex turned out to be actually very easy. After just a few minutes she realized that this detective was not only very attractive but also smart and her ironic sense of humor made Piper burst out laughing on more than one occasion.

When they finally arrived at Piper's place, she turned slowly to leave the vehicle but decided to stop and face Alex one more time.

Thank you.

No problem, kid. I was going home anyways.

No, for the earlier as well. I really would like to thank you for getting us out. I know that you must have pulled some strings or something. I mean… or not… I don't even know. But still, thank you. – Piper ended up rambling as always and Alex just laughed.

It's OK. Just don't get in trouble again.

Yeah, well, I'll try.

Piper turned to leave again and she was just about to close the door behind her when she heard Alex's husky voice.

I'm serious, Pipes. Be careful.

Piper smiled at the nickname. She normally hated them but this time hearing it felt different, somehow better.

Bye, Alex. – and she finally turned to leave..


	2. Chapter 2

\- 2 –

 **FOUR WEEKS LATER**

Her head was thumping, her throat was paper dry, her stomach threatened to bring back yesterday's supper… Or rather the problem was that she had skipped supper and filled her system with tequila. Lots of it.

Suddenly, Piper realized that she can smell some quite familiar stench… Something like a damp, moldy dungeon and then it dawned on her.

"Fuck… Fuck… Fuck, fuck, fucking fuck…"

"I was just about to say that…" she heard Nicky's tired voice. Piper opened her eyes and sure enough she was lying on a hard bench in a room that looked like a jail cell but this time it was eerie quiet. No hookers shouting, no guards yelling and arguing.

"Why the fucking fuck are we here again?!" she whined.

"'Cause you decided that painting on a public wall was cool." A raspy voice answered and Nicky giggled. She probably still slightly drunk or high or both.

"Alex…"

"I'm sorry but which part of 'don't get in trouble' you did not fully understand?" Alex was obviously not amused by the whole situation. In fact, the way she was glaring at both women clearly showed that she was struggling to control her anger. Imagine a fuming bull ready to attack and you will have the picture, pretty much…

"I was not planning to…" Piper started but was quickly silenced by the cop.

"Why the hell did you have to spray a graffiti on a public wall?!"

"Well, I bet it was pretty…" Piper tried again, smiling sweetly at Alex in hopes of melting her raging anger away.

"It looked sort of like a pussy." Nicky was dumbly giggling all over again which earned her another glare from Alex but she was completely ignoring it.

"Feministic vision of a flower then."

"On the police department's wall, Piper." And this news finally made both Piper and Nicky shut up. Suddenly, none of them were in the mood for joking around.

"Holly shit, Chapman." Nicky gasped. "How come I don't remember any of this?"

"Maybe because you, two idiots, were stoned out of your fucking minds."

Only then did Piper realize that although the room they were in was stinking, it was way smaller and cleaner than the one they had ended up before. "Where are we? What's gonna happen to us?" Alex opened the bars and let them out.

"You're gonna wash that pussy off the wall now."

"And then?"

"And then we'll see." Alex was still super serious which only made both girls more unnerved. They both knew they were walking on thin ice at the moment. Piper was actually quite sure that this time the cop won't let them get away with their shit so easily and it worried her. Partying and all, she really didn't want to have a police record. One day she was gonna need a proper job and she was afraid that such points on her CV wouldn't really help her getting one.

Piper's face was bright red out of embarrassment caused by the whole situation. She had never ever been so ashamed of herself and it was all in front of a woman she wanted to like her. (Wait… What?)

Several hours later Piper and Nicky were sitting on the steps to the police department. They were both totally exhausted and still pretty much hangovered.

"I will kill you one day, you know…" Piper punched lightly Nicky's arm.

"Nah, you love me. Besides, nobody was forcing the weed on you, plus, it was your idea and yours only to paint that pussy." Nicky was openly laughing now. "I didn't think you had it in you, Chapman. Crazy graffiti girl."

"Well, you should've stopped me. That's what friends are for."

"I was too busy cheering you on. That's what friends are for." Nicky was grinning all over, proud of herself.

They were sitting there chatting for a while longer. Both were worried about what Alex would do but Nicky seemed to be a little less bothered than Piper. After all, she had already had some experience with judicial system.

"You should actually thank me."

"For what? Landing my ass in trouble again?" Piper wasn't really angry. She was trying to keep a straight face but failed quite miserably.

"Oh, c'mon. Don't tell me you don't enjoy checking out one as here." The crazy-haired girl sniggered.

"I do not know what you're talking about, Nichols."

"Sure you don't." Nicky continued to grin.

"Besides, I don't even know if she's into girls or not. And she is a little older, so even if she was, she wouldn't be interested in me for sure and…" Piper started rambling and it only made Nicky laugh lauder.

"So I was right, indeed!" She shouted in victory, jumping up and down and by occasion making Piper feel extremely uneasy.

"No, what?! I'm just making a statement here. WE don't know if she is…"

"You don't know if I'm what?" They suddenly heard the raspy voice from behind. Piper almost jumped out of her skin and turned crimson red once again. She was praying to all the gods she actually did not believe in that Alex hadn't heard anything of what they said just a second before.

"I'm starting to think that this color suits you quite nicely." Alex said while handling hem bottles of fresh cold water which the girls accepted greedily. The day was annoyingly hot and the sun seemed to be on the mission to make their aching heads even more miserable than they already were.

"So what now? Are you going to cuff her and put in jail?" Nicky said suggestively wiggling her eye-brows and Alex laughed at Piper's uneasiness which was clearly evident on the blonde's face. Her voice was rich and full of merit and for a second both Nicky and Piper hoped that they wouldn't have to face any consequences.

"Wait… Why the hell only me?!" It seemed that Piper finally registered what Nicky had just said.

"Because you were the one all about pussy yesterday." Nicky said mock-seriously and matter-of-factly and her statement made Piper only more uncomfortable, if a new level of that was even possible. "I just kept you innocent company." Nicky finished grinning.

Alex seemed to be having fun at the friends' banter. She still didn't look threatening in any way so Piper finally mustered the courage to ask her about their nearest future.

"I'll let it slide BUT it's really the list time. I swear." Alex turned to Nicky, pointing at her. "And the next time even Vinnie won't be able to help you. Got that?"

"Vinnie? What's he got to do with it?"

"Isn't he your girlfriend's cousin?"

"Umm… Lorna's not my girlfr…"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just don't do anything stupid anymore or I'll really have to arrest both of you." At that, Alex turned around and entered the building leaving the girls outside, free and in a much better mood than before.

"Girlfrieeeeend?" Piper couldn't help herself. She not often had the occasion to tease Nicky.

"Shut up."

"Thank God your GIRLFRIEND knows some people here."

"Shut up and be glad. By the way, I need to call Lorna and thank her."

"Yeah, thank her from me as well. It turns out she's saved my sorry ass butt as well." Piper said with slugged shoulders which made Nicky laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"Well… and you thought that Alex let us go each time 'cause she liiiikes you."

"I did NOT think that."

"You hoped for that…"

"Hell no. I just like her because she's nice and she's helped us and she's a good cop and…"

"And she's kinda hot. Admit it finally and move on." Nicky was proud of herself. She was no longer the object of Piper's mocking.

Piper's lips tugged upwards a little. "OK, I admit. I might like her a little."

"Just don't get into trouble again just to see her. There are easier ways, you know."

"Getting your ass in jail is your specialty. I'm new to this shit so… I'm going home now. I'm dead tired and I just dream of a shower and comfy bed. Say hi from me to your girlfriend."

"Oh, fuck off. She's not my girlfr…"

"Yeah, yeah…" And it was Piper's turn to smirk.

 **TWO WEEKS LATER**

Piper was having dinner with her waspy parents at a local restaurant. She truly hated spending her time with the older Chapmans but it was her birthday and a family dinner was a tradition. This year was a little different, though. Danny, her older brother, wasn't there. He was in Florida, working at some fancy private clinic. Being the family's perfect son/favorite child made it possible for him to skip the family gatherings whenever he wanted to. That's why he was never around. Piper guessed that even the perfect son had enough of their not so perfect parents. Cal, her younger brother, was also absent this time. He was off on some fishing trip to Michigan. That left Piper all alone with just Carol and Bill and she was super glad that the evening was slowly (too slowly) coming to an end.

Her mother wouldn't stop nagging her about the future, which in her opinion should consist of a nice upper-class husband and a bunch of kids. One more minute with Carol around and Piper could swear she would end up in jail. This time for stabbing her own mother with a fork.

"Are you even listening to me, Piper Elizabeth?" Carol was already slurring her words. She obviously had drunk a bit too much wine.

"Yes, mother. I'm sorry, I'm just really tired."

"You can't be tired when you did nothing all day."

"Well, you're tired all the time and you do nothing all days…" Piper snapped.

"Don't talk like that to you mother." It was Bill's turn to raise his voice. He always defended his wife in front of Piper even though the older woman was rarely right.

"Sorry. I'm going to head to the restroom." Piper excused herself.

"You go ahead. We'll pay the bill and we'll be heading back home. You're obviously in no mood for celebration. No wonder, though. Getting old is never a nice experience." Carol always knew how to punch Piper and she never wasted any occasion to do so. This time Piper was too tired to answer her mother. She just stood up and left the table.

When she returned, she noticed that her parents were already gone. She decided to grab another drink before going home herself. She needed to loosen up a bit.

Just as she turned around from the table in order to head to the bar, she harshly bumped to someone standing right behind her. When Piper looked up, she saw a dark-haired woman in a black sexy dress with a huge stain of red wine on it.

"The fuck?!"

"Alex?"

The brunette stopped her swearing tirade immediately and started laughing sending pleasing shivers down Piper's spine. "Oh my god… I'm so sorry. Like so really sorry." She rambled.

"You keep getting in trouble, kid. This time tagging me along."

"Jesus, I'm really, really sorry" Piper couldn't stop mumbling her apologies. At the same she was trying to miserably wipe Alex's front with some napkins.

"And you're all touchy feely tonight." Alex chuckled and Piper took her hands away from her with a speed of light. She turned crimson. "Sorry." She mumbled once again.

"You're saying that too much."

"Sor… Fuck…"

"Now, that's more interesting." Alex was clearly in a good mood and was she flirting with Piper?

"I'll pay for the dry cleaner's. It's all my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going."

Alex took Piper's shaking hands into her own and smiled. "It's alright. No problem here so chill out."

When Alex touched Piper's skin she felt that a nice bolt of energy surged through her and yet again it took her completely by surprise. The cop had never reacted this way to anyone before. It was pleasant.

"Let me buy you another glass of wine, then. I did ruin your first one."

"Listen, thanks but I'm here with someone and we were about to leave anyway so…"

Piper's smile dropped and only then she realized that there's a good-looking red-head sitting by what must be Alex's table.

"Sure, maybe some other time." She meekly said, trying to keep her face from showing her disappointment. She didn't understand why she felt it in the first place.

"Sure. See around, Pipes."

And again that nickname. It made Piper feel all fuzzy and weird and it was quite unfamiliar to her but in some good way.

After that Alex joined the woman by the table and soon they left the restaurant leaving Piper by the bar with her tequila shot. Somehow she felt like drinking something slightly stronger thank her favorite white wine. She didn't know why but she was frustrated and angry and that confused the hell out of her.


	3. Chapter 3

– 3 –

Alex was sitting by her old beat-up desk. It was cluttered with tons of reports and pictures stained with coffee mugs. The brunette detective was mulling over some of the papers from the forensic investigators. She was currently working on a case of 3 very brutal murders and what truly infuriated her was the fact that she had close to nothing to start with. Nobody really knew what was going on. The perpetrator had left zero evidence behind, no fingerprints, no hair, no nothing, zero, nada… Whoever that was he or she must have been extremely careful.

All of the three victims were attractive young girls. The first of them, Jennifer Grand, aged 19, was found in the garage of her parents' home. Her body seemed to have been left untouched except for the ligature marks on the girl's neck. She had clearly been surprised by the offender and strangled to death right at the doors leading to the house. Jennifer was later found by her mother who was on her way to work the following morning. The second victim, Anna Hopper, aged 21, was found in the staircase of her block of flats by her elderly neighbor. She was also strangled and left out in the open for people to find her. Here also was no evidence. Yet, what made the whole police department stand on their tiptoes was the third murder. Avril Delacroix was a French student who came to the USA for a scholarship at a local college. She had just turned 20 on the day of her death. Her body was found by a landlord who decided to check on her when he hadn't heard from the girl for more than two weeks after her rent due-date. When he entered Avril's apartment, he discovered her lifeless form in the closet located in her bedroom. What was disturbing in her case was the fact that she not only strangled but also tortured. The murderer wasn't satisfied with just killing the girl. This time the ligature marks proved that the victim had been strangled nearly to death and then revived just to be strangled yet again, this time for good. The killer was an obvious sadist and this time he or she was bold enough to enter the victim's apartment, maybe even had waited on her there.

All of the victims didn't seem to have much in common. They came from different neighborhoods, did different things in life and even looked different. For a long time the police had a major problem finding any connection between the three. That was until Alex did some further research into the girls' lives. As it turned out all of them were lesbians and frequented local gay bars. The reason why it took so long for the police to see the common factor was that one of the girls was still hiding that element of her personality and it wasn't until Alex, by coincidence, met one of her friends at the bar, did she realize that actually all three victims were homo. Since it wasn't a big of a secret that Alex Vause was gay herself, her boss, Joe Caputo, decided to give her the investigation. He reasoned that she would have a better insight since she had already been a part of the gay community. Alex's work partner was also gay, so the issue was settled.

That's how Alex ended up stuck with one of the most challenging cases in the history of this department. On the one hand, it gave her a great chance of promotion if she managed to figure it all out. On the other, if she fucked up, she would be in deep shit troubles. Besides that, the pressure and responsibility for other members of the gay community was eating Alex up. She was unable to sleep well anymore and simply couldn't force herself to eat properly. Her stomach seemed to have turned into a stone and to make the matters even worse, her smoking habit grew out of proportion.

It was way after 3 am and Alex was still trying to see something in the reports, something that had alluded her vision the million times she had read it before. The only thing she truly dreamt about was a cup of good coffee, not this murky tasteless liquid that was now in front of her. Alex's eyes were slowly getting heavier and heavier and she was just about to doze off when suddenly somebody punched her hard over her shoulder making her almost fly down her half broken chair.

"What the fuck?!"

"Wakey, wakey, sexy partner! It's not nice to sleep on your shift."

"Fuck off, Stella. You surely know that our damn shift ended at least three hours ago." Alex's voice was groggy and she was obviously exhausted.

Stella Carlin was her police partner of quite a few years and despite her annoying Aussie accent and being pain in the ass in general, she and Alex became really great friends. Both women knew that they could fully count on each other. In fact, as the years had gone by, they grew very close to another and considered themselves sisters.

"Well, I can fuck off, no problem. Me and my 2 lovely, steaming, freshly-ground coffee cups, we can all get the fuck off here…" Stella started to leave their cubicle.

"Wait! I take it back!" Alex jumped to grab one of the paper cups. Stella really read her well. Maybe that's why the Aussie was still alive – she knew when she was overdoing with her teasing and knew when to run for life (usually when she could virtually see the steam going off Alex's ears, but still).

"Ah, I knew you would love my company."

"Asshole." Alex was grinning now. She really did like the shorter girl.

"OK, I might be an asshole but I do provide good coffee so you must like me." Stella was grinning back while sipping from her own steaming cup. The room was now filled with the nice aroma and both women felt that suddenly they can muster some more energy to work.

Alex and Stella continued to look through the reports for some more time. They compared their theories and what they had found out the previous day.

"Hey… what if this psycho keeps observing them? What if he or she takes time to follow those girls back to their houses, make sure they're alone. Fuck, he might have been keeping an eye on them for a few days…" Stella was thinking out loud. The idea actually seemed to have some sense and Alex agreed that they should try to check that out. It really was hell of a fluke that he got those girls all alone, especially the third victim. And why would he wait with the attack until they got home? Wasn't it easier to snatch them from the street in some dark corner? Sure as hell all of the girls passed some of those on their ways home since all the murders took place at late evenings. All of these unknowns were making Alex's head ache like hell. She really needed to get away from the police station and its stuffy air.

"I have enough for today. It's almost 5 am now and I'm done. My brain is officially cooked jello." Stella seemed once again to read Alex's mind. Suddenly she looked at her with shock in her eyes. "Who the fuck are you and what are you doing here?!" She asked the brunette with mock terror and burst out laughing.

"OK, you're right, Stella."

"That we should finally head home?"

"Nope, that your brain is cooked, you fucking idiot."

"Hey!" Stella threw some photos at Alex. After a few minutes they really decided to call it a day (a night?)

When Alex was slowly driving home, by habit she decided to pass the area where most of the city's clubs were located. Some of them were very popular gay bars where all of the victims have been known to be often visitors. She was always hopeful to find some more clues or ideas, counting on some moment of pure illumination like in those crime story movies and books, but that hadn't come so far. Alex knew that she was close to that bastard, yet so far away. The thought that such a scumbag could play her just like that, end young girls' lives under her watchful eye, infuriated he beyond any measure. Alex simply had to get him, stop him. She just hoped for it to happen soon. Otherwise she was bound to go crazy anytime. The lack of sleep and proper food was wearing on her. In fact, she was like a ticking bomb, dynamite with a short fuse. Even Sylvie, her sort of a fuck buddy/ sort of a girlfriend (in Sylvie's own eyes), couldn't take the edge off anymore. They used to be good together but lately the woman had become more clingy, which only added to Alex's overall frustration. She had stressed to the woman numerous times that her and Sylvie were no girlfriends, they were not in a relationship, just having fun whenever one of them needed it. Alex did NOT do relationships. Ever. Period.

Yet, her mind had been recently clouded with the thoughts of Piper, the girl she had almost arrested twice already. She didn't fully understand the girl but something allured in her allured Alex. Sure, the kid (yes, Piper was much younger than Alex) was crazy. Typical for a wealthy college girl. Then again, there was something interesting about her. She was not only a party girl, she was also smart and funny and Alex had the idea that Piper, despite her young age, had read almost every book that ever existed. Herself being an avid reader, or rather a book worm, Alex realized that Piper's passion for literature was equal to her own if not even greater. During that short car ride a while ago, when she was dropping the college girl off at her place, Piper managed to challenge her knowledge on cereal occasions. Something like that rarely happened to Alex. Having someone catch her lack of knowledge of something more than once during 20 minutes… Well, Piper was the first.

Not to mention that Piper was gorgeous. Even in her jailed ass hangover state. Somehow Alex found that looks adorable (Wait… What?!) But it was only when Alex met her at the restaurant that she fully realized that Piper was a smashing beauty. Never-ending toned legs (Alex could bet the younger girl was a runner), sexy ass, and those baby-blue eyes… Jesus, THOSE eyes. Alex was sure she could stare into them forever (Wait… WHAT?!) Yet, Alex didn't hold much hope for any further contact with the girl. As far as she knew, Piper was straight and Alex never slept with dick-loving girls. Too much drama and hassle. She had done that mistake once or twice in her lifetime and she was adamant to never do it again.

As if on cue, out of nowhere Alex noticed familiar blonde locks. The girl was leaving The Glam, one of the most popular gay bars in town. "It can't be…" Alex whispered to herself but then the girl turned around and Alex was pretty damn sure she had Piper standing right on the other side of road. She was with that other crazy girl, Nicky Nichols or something like that, and two other girls. One of them Alex recognized to be Lorna, her colleague's cousin, the other pretty brunette Alex didn't know at all.

Alex stopped the car and decided to quietly observe the group of friends who were obviously having fun. She tried convincing herself that it had nothing to do with the fact that Piper was so easy on her eyes. Alex just wanted to make sure they were safely tucked into taxis or something… She couldn't risk while some crazy psycho was roaming the streets, now could she…

Having thus explained her motives to herself, Alex waited patiently in her car. After a few minutes she saw Nicky, Lorna and the brunette get into a taxi. They drove away leaving Piper alone on the sidewalk.

"Nice friends you've got there…" Alex whispered angrily. She didn't understand why she actually cared for the girl so much. She was trying to push it to the feeling of responsibility for all of the citizens, although she knew deep inside she was bullshitting herself.

Suddenly, she realized that Piper was looking directly at he and she felt her cheeks flushed crimson red. (What… What?! Alex Vause's cheeks never turn crimson. Ever. Period.)

The next thing Alex knew Piper was standing right next to her car window and was delicately tapping, asking Alex to open. She reluctantly slid the glass down. (What was she supposed to say now?)

"Hey there…" Piper slurred her words a little bit and once again Alex thought she was adorable. She was obviously slightly intoxicated. She looked super hot in her short red mini skirt and high hills.

"Don't you think you've been partying a little bit too often lately?" Alex asked with a fake-confident smile.

"Don't you think you suck at being an inconspicuous observer, Ms. Detective?"

"Are you high again?" Alex lifter her eye-brow upon seeing Piper's huge pupils and the younger girl found the gesture highly sexy.

"Are you here to arrest me… again?"

"Dou always answer with a question?" Alex chuckled.

"Do you want me to stop?" Piper was grinning like a drunk fool that she was. Her eyes seemed to be even more blue that Alex had remembered. The young girl looked happy and careless and her goofy smile made Alex feel all warm inside. (What?!)

"Hop in, I'll give you a ride home."

Piper agreed and got to the back door in order to open it but it would budge since it was locked. She laughed to herself and finally opened the passenger seat.

"Sorry, a new habit with your car, I think." She giggled some more which earned her a genuine smile from Alex.

"Buckle up."

"Yes, Ms. Detective!"

"Good girl."

"Only sometimes." And that made Alex laugh out loud. Yes, she definitely liked the blonde college girl with a growing drinking problem.

It took Piper a good half an hour to realize that Alex was actually going around her neighborhood instead taking her directly to home but she didn't mind it at all. The conversation between them was flowing freely and more often than not she found herself smiling so much her cheeks hurt. When they finally did pull up in the front of her block of flats, Piper didn't feel like leaving the car. Funny as it seemed, somehow she knew she would kind of miss the brunette just right after stepping out of her vehicle.

On the other side of the car Alex, unbeknown to Piper, felt exactly the same. In some miraculous way, the tiredness of the day dissipated and she was full of energy. She was keen to continue their little chit-chat and banter.

"OK, Ms. Detective… I don't think I should keep you from inconspicuously roaming the streets." Piper couldn't help the grin that decided to appear on her young face.

"Ha, ha, ha… funny… Really…"

"Well, funny is that we continue to bump into each other time after time again."

"WELL, twice I had to cuff you…"

"Yeah, WELL, admit you kinda liked it." Piper felt much more at ease now, which definitely could be seen in her comfortable behavior. She somehow wasn't afraid to say the wrong thing. Her intuition told her that it wasn't really easy to make Alex back off.

"OK, I could do that again but I'd rather you to be sober for that this time."

Piper pretended to be thinking the idea over. "On another note, I probably shouldn't let my stalker cuff me…"

"Your stalker?! Don't flatter yourself, kid."

"Well, what else were you doing in front of The Glam?" Now Alex was 100% sure that Piper actually exited that particular bar, which made the brunette very happy. She could fully safely assume Piper was at least bi. Having a nice banter and a little bit of teasing was not enough to make Alex confident enough whether the blonde was into girls.

"Actually, there's an investigation I'm doing now and it's connected with our clubbing scene."

The tone of Alex's voice made Piper drop her joking sarcasm. She could easily see that the dark-haired beauty was serious about this and the worry on Alex's face was clearly visible.

"What kind of case?"

Alex didn't really know why but she felt that it was safe to trust this girl. Her question seemed genuine and Piper's wrinkled forehead showed concern only.

"Are you safe? Is it something dangerous? Some violent crime mob or something?" Piper asked to make it sound as if she was teasing but it was quite obvious that she became worried about Alex. This fact made the brunette smile slightly.

"There's this, umm, person. He or she. It's less likely but it still can be a woman since all of the victims were lesbians."

"Victims? What happened to them?" Now Piper was really worried. She hadn't realized there was something bad going on in her community. She really felt terrified that some of her friends might be in any sort of danger.

"Please, don't panic but… there have been three murders committed recently. The police is pretty baffled about the whole thing. All of the girls were pretty and young and full of life. They were also gay. That's why I sometimes come around that gay club area just to take a look and maybe something's gonna come to my mind."

"Holy shit…" Piper's eyes went wide. She had rather expected to hear that someone had been mugged or harassed because of their sexuality. That had happened before so it wouldn't shock the young woman so much but what she had just heard from Alex really blew her mind. She was scanning in her head all the girls she hadn't seen in a while and wondered if one of them could have been a victim. She was too afraid to ask Alex for the names. She actually wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know.

The silence in the car became palpable and Alex feared that she had said too much but she just really wanted to make Piper aware that it was dangerous to be walking the streets alone these days. The detective promised herself that she would keep the blonde safe even if she had to scare the shit out of her in order to make her avoid dangerous situations.

"Please, Pipes, be careful. Use cabs, never go anywhere alone after dark, OK?"

Piper's heart jumped at the nickname that Alex seemed to have given her to stay and even thought the topic of their conversation turned to highly serious issues, she couldn't help a little smile forcing its way onto her face.

"Promise me, will you?" Alex demanded. The smile that she could see forming on Piper's lips made the brunette's heart tremble a little and when the beautiful smile didn't disappear after a while, on contrary it widened Alex just had to ask "What?"

"You think I'm pretty too?"

Alex face showed nothing but deep confusion now.

"I'm telling you about some serial killer and all you ask is if I think you're pretty? Piper, really?"

"You said this person took only pretty girls and then you said… Wait… Serial killer?" Piper's eyes went wide once more. She hadn't fully understood what Alex was saying to her a while ago. One killer of three people. "Jesus…"

"Please, keep it to yourself for now, OK? Just make sure you and your friends are safe."

Piper became quiet and this time Alex was really worried that she shouldn't have said all those things to the younger girl. That was exactly why she never talked about her job anymore. It scared people. Made them uneasy around her. Maybe that's also why Alex preferred to keep to herself rather than face being hurt again. Talking to someone never ended well for her. She didn't talk about her work even to her mother, although that was for her the closest person on this planet.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you…" Alex whispered when the silence in the car started to get thick.

"No, it's OK. Thank you for telling me." Piper said quietly. "And you didn't scare me. Maybe just a little." She smiled. "But thanks to you I got home safely tonight so thank you."

Alex put her hand on Piper's shoulder and faced her.

"If you see or hear anything suspicious, let me know." She gave Piper her business card.

"OK" Piper said, a little disappointed that their meeting turned out to be all police matters really. She thought that Alex only wanted information and after all she owned it to the detective. The brunette did let her go a few times. Yet, Piper hope to get Alex's number in a slightly different circumstances. "I should be going now. You're probably dead tired." She said.

"Yeah, I could use some sleep." Alex smiled and Piper got out of the car.

"Thank you once again. And yeah, I promise to be more careful."

"Good. Now go on. I'll wait until you get through the door."

At that Piper smiled and turned to leave. She already missed Alex, even though the woman was right behind her in a car. "What the hell is wrong with me?!" She questioned herself quietly.

Little did she know that in the car Ales was asking herself exactly the same question.


	4. Chapter 4

– 4 –

"So Alex got you home?" Polly was full of grins. She knew her best friend better than anyone else and she was pretty sure that Piper was totally infatuated by the older woman. She could see that in the way Piper's eyes glinted when she was talking about the brunette. In fact, Polly had to admit that she had never seen Piper in such a state and it pleased her beyond any measure to see Piper so excited about meeting someone (although Piper would never admit that, even if her life depended on it).

"So Alex got you?" Nicky, on the other hand, was full of sniggers and jokes. Polly just rolled her eyes at that. Even though Piper and Nicky became really close through the previous year, it was Polly who really understood what kind of music was playing in Piper's heart and mind. Nicky was a wonderful friend and a crazy soul at the same time but Piper had never admitted to her that she was truly a pure case of a romantic. She believed in love at a first sight or at least in total infatuation at first sight. The blonde also believed that there's this special one for everybody and that the moment we meet them, we just know… or at least suspect.

"Guys… It's not like that at all. Alex just wanted to be nice and she gave me a ride home."

"I bet you'd prefer a different kind of ride…" Nicky just wouldn't let go and Piper was becoming slowly more and more agitated.

"Nicky, please…" Polly started before Piper had even the chance to recover from her pissed state.

"What? Am I the only one here who can see the obvious attraction?"

"Nick… Alex was just worried that I was standing there all alone. She actually said that the area around The Glam was fairly dangerous so we should always get a cab together or something…" Piper promised Alex that she wouldn't spill the beans about the serial killer just yet and she didn't want the brunette to get in any sort of trouble because of her. If the news about some psycho were still a secret to the public, Piper was willing to keep her word and not tell anyone about the murders. Somehow she really didn't want to disappoint the detective. She really cared what the older woman thought of her and Piper wanted Alex to trust her. Telling everyone around her about some crazy-shit serial killer wouldn't help her maintain the image of a responsible trust-worthy person. Simple as that. Why she felt that way? Piper didn't even want to venture that way. Her reasons were better left alone. She was simply too afraid that Polly might have been right the other day when she expressed her observations about Piper and the way she acted while talking about Alex.

Piper didn't need Polly to tell her that something was up. What was it? Piper was not really sure. The only thing that she was certain of was the fact that she had to seek contact with Alex. It felt as if she was the iron and the older woman was the magnet that she just couldn't resist even if she tried. And tried she did. For several days she refused to call Alex, even though she had her number on the business card that the brunette had given to her. Damn… Even if she lost the stupid card, Piper would still be able to call her because she had the digits printed in her memory – that's how much she stared at the little piece of paper given to her by the cop. Piper was tempted to call a million times but every time she had her fingertip on the "dial" button she chickened out. Why? She also couldn't figure that one out. What would be so weird in inviting Alex to coffee as a way of saying "thank you" for the ride or the many times the detective decided not to press any charges against Piper and Nicky (even though she definitely could). Piper didn't want to seem needy or childish or immature or too eager or… whatever.

For some reason the blonde really wanted Alex to like her but at the same time she was afraid that if she didn't contact the attractive cop, she would never have the pleasure of meeting her again and a thought of that kind of scenario made Piper shiver in all the wrong ways. Since the ride, Piper was simply unable to get Alex rid of her mind. No matter how hard she tried to party, how adamant she was at not thinking about her, the whole world seemed to be against her. When she was book shopping she noticed a title that Alex mentioned to her and Piper just had to buy the novel. She ended up reading it all within one night and the only thought that she had upon closing the book was "I wonder if Alex would agree with the psychoanalytical interpretation of this book…"

On the other day, she was talking to Polly about getting a projector in order to be able to organize movie nights at her penthouse (thank you grandma!), she immediately remembered Alex telling her that Herzog was the best horror movies director when it comes to vampires, that Piper and her "just must watch one of those one day". The idea of watching old horror movies with Alex put a smile to the blonde's face. She really would like that. Maybe she should actually buy the damn device just to have a reason to invite Alex over? Didn't that sound too needy, childish or eager?... Fuck, whatever…

Just as Piper was overanalyzing everything in her head she heard Nicky chuckling to herself. "Sure, Piper, Alex only wanted to keep you safe… from other women out there in front of that club. Believe me, the last I've seen you two together the cop was checking you out… to say the least…"

"Seriously Nick, It's not like that…" Nicky gave Piper a doubtful look and the blonde blushed a little. "OK, she's attractive…" Nicky's eyebrows moved up a few inches. "Like… super-hot-I-can't-even-phantom sort of way but still… It's really not like that. She just wanted to be nice and she's a cop after all. She feels responsible for all of us…"

"Sure… Somehow I didn't see her approaching ALL OF US and proposing to ALL OF US a ride home… No, she waited till you were alone." It was Polly's turn to nag Pier but she did it with a warm smile.

"You two are unbearable. How come you two managed to suddenly gang up on me?" Piper was laughing now. She was hoping to distract her friends and lead the conversation away from her and Alex. "I didn't think I could put you two in one room without starting the third world war and here we are… How the hell did that happen?"

Nicky started giggling and making suggestive faces to both Piper and Polly. "Oh, c'mon Chapman. You know I have my way with women."

"Ha ha ha… In your dreams, lion-head." Polly was purely amused at the crazy-haired girl's suggestion. The brunette was as straight as they go.

"Lion-head… I like that. I'm the king of the jungle, my little monkey you!" Nicky started to squeeze Polly's face making her look like a fish out of water and all the three girls burst out laughing while the brunette was actually trying to get Nicky's hands away from her.

Piper couldn't stop smiling. She knew perfectly well that both of her closest friends wanted only to see her happy. Yet, Piper wasn't sure what "being happy" truly meant. As far as she could remember, Piper was "OK". She had her great friends and a wonderful grandma, the only adult in her family who actually understood her. Her parents were a big fuck up and even though her older brother was OK, he was never there. Cal, the younger one, was a wonderful man but also mended to himself, mostly. That left Piper pretty alone most of the time, except when she was with Nicky and Polly, for whom she was deeply grateful.

"You know what? I think I'm gonna buy that projector so we can have a movie night." Piper was grinning, a plan was already forming in her head.

Meanwhile, Alex was yet again sitting in her small office (if you could call that a small cubicle that she actually had to share with Stella). Once again she was reading all the reports. She'd seen them million times and yet she felt that she was missing something. Some sort of key that would open this case for her wide open.

The situation was slowly getting at her. Alex was trying to persuade herself that it had nothing to do with a certain blonde that hadn't called her yet. She was really trying to focus on the case but still she couldn't get Piper off her mind. The young girl's smile made the detective daydream more than once within the last few days. Alex didn't understand her own feelings. She'd never felt anything even close to this. It was a pure mystery to her why the blonde occupied her mind so much. Maybe if she had been in love before, she would have known the symptoms but Alex had never been the one to fall for someone. That's why she felt confused and even annoyed at herself. This in turn made her more anxious and nervous. Her coworkers could see that something was up with her but they all put it down to the strain that the present investigation was putting on Alex.

Only Stella seemed to have a different opinion on the whole situation. She knew perfectly well that Alex was not so easy to be stressed out and her present absentmindness had nothing to do with their case. The shorter police officer knew about the two girls that somehow Alex seemed to take fond of. Maybe they reminded the taller cop of her own young days, when she was a troublesome teenager, but something told Stella that wasn't the case this time. Alex often took care of difficult youngsters who happened to be spending the night at the station, even though she really didn't have to do that anymore. Maybe she just wanted to keep them safe from other inmates who could easily turn young people onto "the dark side".

Last time, though, it was different. The two women who were arrested by one of their colleges were actually adults. Young, but still of age, not some laud and restless teenagers. Yet, Alex took her interest in them. It was even before Vinnie mentioned that one of the women was his cousin's girlfriend. Alex was glued to the blonde one. She was observing her the whole time the girls slept on the uncomfortable metal bench. Stella wasn't sure what to make of it at the beginning. She was even considering to propose a bet who could get into the blonde's pants faster (a little habit she and Alex had when they spotted an attractive woman) but she decided against it. Somehow she felt that Alex's gaze was different this time. The dark-haired woman was truly mesmerized by the sleeping beauty and Stella really thought that her long time friend might get herself in trouble over this one.

"Are you up for some lunch? I don't know about you but I'm starving."

"Huh?" Was all that left Alex's mouth. She had stopped reading the reports a while ago and was currently staring blankly at the ugly gray ceiling.

"Where are you?" Stella was trying to hide her knowing smile but she failed miserably. She was pretty sure she knew where Alex's mind was wandering and it was nowhere near their actual case.

"I'm in front of you, you dumbass. Maybe you should get your eyes checked again. Yesterday's shooting practice kicked your ass and now you can't see me from a meter…" The tall brunette sniggered, finally taking a look at her friend and sticking her tongue at Stella.

"Fuck you."

"You wish."

"Err… No, thank you very much. Not my style."

"So you keep saying…" Alex laughed.

"Besides, I'm not your style either so no point."

"Oh yeah? Suddenly you're the expert of my type? So tell me, oh mighty Yoda, what's my type?"

Stella was just waiting for Alex to catch the bait. "Well… Beautiful, tall, blue-eyed blondes with never-ending legs and sparkling smile, who tend to get in stupid trouble all the time. I get in trouble a lot myself, but I ain't planning on dyeing my hair anytime soon so…" Upon finishing her pretty good description of Piper, Stella burst out laughing at seeing Alex's bright red face. The short woman was pretty proud of herself. Not many people had the privilege to catch the detective off guard. "Oh, please… You really thought I wouldn't notice?" Stella continued to chuckle a little.

"What can I say? Piper's just hot." Alex grinned trying to hide her uneasiness, the appearance of which she didn't expect. She never got that feeling when it came to women. Never. Ever. Period.

"Sure she is. Yet, it's the first time you actually remember a girl's name after talking to her once."

"Twice."

"What?" This time it was Stella who was surprised.

"Twice. I met her the other night in front of The Glam…"

"So now we've established that she's actually gay… or at least bi. Not many straight people go there."

"I know."

"OK. What are you going to do about that?"

"I don't know." For the first time in her life Alex was really unsure of what to do. She was highly tempted to check the blonde's number in their records and just call her but she gave Piper her number so maybe she should rather wait for her move… On the other hand, Alex was never the one to wonder about such things. She had always been certain about her movements. This time felt different, though. Somehow her gut feeling was telling her to stay away, that there were some new troubles on the way.

Stella was perplexed at Alex's confused behavior. She'd never seen her partner in such a state and it only made her more certain that something was up. It was just about sex and conquer anymore.

"Let's grab something to eat before the meeting with the boss. God knows those take forever and I haven't eating anything today. I don't want my rumbling stomach to make its presence during the whole thing." Stella got up to take her jacket from the chair and Alex followed her close behind. "By the way… I think you should call her. What do you have to lose?" Stella smiled over her shoulder and winked at Alex.

Just as Alex was about to answer her she felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket.

"Vause." She barked into her phone.

"Alex?" A shy voice asked.

"Pipes? Hi! What's up?" Alex couldn't help a wide bright smile which made Stella sure of who was calling.

"Yeah, hi!" Piper seemed much more sure now. "Listen, I was thinking… I would like to thank you for the other night, for the ride and all… Maybe you'd like to join me and my friends at my place for a movie night? I guarantee great fun, booze, and good food." Piper's voice was cheery. The blonde really hoped that the prospect sounded OK. She didn't want to look to desperate to get Alex alone or something, hence the mentioning of friends, yet she really wanted to meet the brunette and get to know her a little better.

Alex was suppressing the giggles that Piper's actually giddy voice evoked. She was really, really, fucking happy and she didn't even want to think of why. Somehow hearing Piper's voice so agitated at inviting her over (even when the blonde obviously was trying not to sound like that) made the brunette's heart flutter. The sound of her nervous laugh sent shivers down Alex's spine. And just about when she was to answer Piper's question the reality hit her hard…

"Piper, I'd love to spend this evening with you guys but I'm afraid I can't."

"Oh…" Piper's mood suddenly dropped and Alex was pissed at the whole situation. She'd been waiting for such a phone call and now she couldn't go and see the blonde.

"I'm still at the station and probably I won't be able to leave before midnight. We're having late night meeting with the boss. I'm sorry." Alex felt the need to explain and when Stella heard the brunette rambling some sort of apology, she couldn't stop a huge smirk appearing on her face. Then, she had an idea and started scribbling something on a piece of paper. She pushed it in front of Alex's eyes and the brunette's eyes brightened up upon reading the note. Stella was right… What she had to lose, right?

"Listen… Can I call you after I finish here? Maybe, if it won't be actually too late for you, I can drop by after work? What do you say?" Alex tried hard not to sound hopeful. (What the hell was wrong with her? She'd never felt giddy like that…)

"Sure. I seldom go to sleep before 2 am, actually."

Alex couldn't help but laugh at that one. "Yeah, I kind of figured..."

"Stalking much again? Now you know when I get to sleep?" The blonde was in a joking mood now and Alex like that… a lot. She adored their easy banter.

"Bye, Pipes. Don't fall asleep too early." Alex just smiled. Her and Stella had to get going if they were to make it to grab something to eat and be on time for the meeting. "I'll call you later."

"Sure. Have a nice meeting, Al." And this time the cop felt the fluttering heart once again. (What. Was. Wrong. With. Her? Fuck…)

It was way after 1 am when the meeting finally ended. Caputo made everyone report in front of the group. They were trying to brainstorm any and every idea concerning the recent killings. Even the dumbest ones and this made both Alex and Stella restless and bored at the same time. After nearly five hours of listening to all of this both cops had enough but little did they know that there were another three hours to go for them. They didn't see any sense in that. No one knew shit and everyone was just trying to sound smart when they knew nothing. The whole meeting left Alex pissed and tired.

When she exited their station and looked at her watch she realized it was really fucking late, too late, in fact, to call Piper, probably. She decided to text the blonde. That would be a safe solution. If Piper were asleep, she wouldn't answer her message and that would mean she was sound asleep.

[Alex to Piper] 1:34

 _Good evening! Or should I say 'morning'? Are you still up for a late movie night? Or maybe just a glass of wine?_

Alex hid her phone in her back pocket and started looking for the keys to the car. She wasn't really expecting Piper to answer her back. She just promise to contact the blonde so she felt obliged to do so, no matter the time.

Alex was utterly surprised when her phone buzzed within minutes.

[Piper to Alex] 1:36

 _If you weren't my stalker, I would give you my address right now. BUT since you are stalking me, you know where to find me already._

Alex's grin war threatening to split her face in halves. "I sure do." She whispered to herself and decided to skip the car-key search. She would take the cab since she promised the blonde the wine.

[Alex to Piper] 1:37

 _On my way. Dry wine is good with you?_

[Piper to Alex] 1:39

 _Perfect!_

"Yes, perfect… This night could still be perfect." Alex thought to herself.


	5. Chapter 5

– 5 –

Piper was getting nervous. This wasn't how she had truly planned it. Alex was supposed to come to her place BUT Piper was not supposed to be alone. The buffer zone of her friends was to make the whole situation less kind-of-a-date scenario. Now, the blonde felt a little bit uneasy. Would the raven-haired woman think that Piper was too eager? Yet, on the other hand, wasn't it the cop who texted her first at this ungodly hour? Why would she send her a message so late at night if she really didn't want to make it a little bit more-than-just-friendly scenario? When Alex contacted her, Piper had already been in her pajamas since her friends had left way before midnight. The blonde couldn't fall asleep because her brain wouldn't let her. Every time she was about to head into the arms of Morpheus, something would remind her of the tall beauty and keep her awake. Piper didn't expect Alex to call her anymore when her alarm clock indicated 1 am so she was utterly (yet pleasantly) surprised when her cell phone beeped, announcing the incoming text. At first she was pretty sure that it was Nicky still trying to get on her nerves. Ever since Piper told her friends that Alex wouldn't be there, the wild-haired girl was teasing Piper to no end. For the first time ever she really had enough of her. So… When Piper reached out to her phone and saw who was trying to get a hold of her, the blonde's heart did a small somersault. Alex was the very last person she expected to hear from since it was almost 2 am now.

After the short exchange of messages with the brunette, Piper strung into action. She run to her wardrobe and took some comfortable clothes to put on herself. She was opting for something sexy, but then she realized that wouldn't have been natural for the whole situation. Who the hell wears super uncomfortable, yet sexy clothes, when they're supposed to be sleeping in front of TV? Finally, Piper decided on a pair of comfy trainer pants and a T-shirt which showed off some of her well-tanned belly. "Good enough." She thought checking herself in a big mirror in her bedroom.

When Piper was preparing her living room to look more like "yes, my friends have been here and they've just left", she heard a soft knock. Her heart jumped again and her stomach threatened to make a big come back of all the pop-corn she had eaten with the girls. After few calming breaths she went to open the door.

"How did you get through the front door? I haven't heard the buzzer…"

"Good late evening to you too, Pipes." Here she was. Alex in all her glory. She was wearing skin-tight black jeans, a white shirt and a leather jacket. Her police badge was still hanging on her neck. It was easy to see that Alex came here straight from work. She looked tired but her eyes were bright green and sparkling and for a moment Piper had the urge to hug her hello. Yet, she stopped herself, thinking that such a move could have been inappropriate. The blonde fought hard to feel free but some of her uptight upbringing would show its nasty head here and there.

"Please, come in." She said instead, sounding quite formal, and Alex just chuckled.

"Don't worry. I'm not here to cuff you this time. I came here to relax." Alex grinned showing a bottle of good dry wine.

"Pinot Grigio? Definitely come in, then." Alex's smile eased Piper a little. How did that woman manage to let the blonde relax and stress at the same time? What the fuck was wrong with Piper?

Alex laughed and handed Piper the bottle. She took her jacket off and Piper couldn't take her eyes off of the detective's shirt which was hugging her perfect curves just the right way. How come she could pull of a sexy look even in her work clothes? And oh my god those biker's boots… This outlook should be just forbidden.

Piper blushed at her own thoughts and sped to the kitchen to get the glasses.

"Just get yourself comfy, I'll get the glasses and I'm right with you. Are you hungry? I still have some of…" Piper stopped rambling when she heard Alex chuckle. "What?" She turned to the brunette with a confused gaze.

"I'm hungry, sure… But not for food."

Piper's face suddenly felt on fire and she was sure it turned several shades redder.

"No?" She stuttered.

"Nope. I really feel like just drinking some good wine and chill. I'm thirsty." The brunette smirked upon seeing Piper's uneasiness and the blonde wanted to stab someone. She just wasn't sure who – herself or the sexy detective for playing with her like that. Or maybe she did that totally unconsciously? Maybe it was her Alex-infected brain playing tricks on her? Fuck…

By the time Piper was ready with her reply Alex had already moved to the living room. When the blonde entered the TV area she saw the cop admiring her book collection. Her long slender fingers were brushing against the covers and Piper was pretty sure that Alex appreciated her collection.

"Avid reader, you say…" Her husky voice drifted away while she continued to take a closer look at the novels.

"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind." Piper smiled at the brunette when she caught her eye.

"Rudyard Kipling?" Alex smiled back with a knowing look and Piper had to admit she was a little impressed. She handed her guest a glass of wine.

"To Herzog?" The blonde was looking straight into Alex's eyes with a mischievous smirk.

"I thought you watched that already with your friends."

"Yeah, well… I had a feeling you would come around… So I decided to wait for you."

This pleased Alex more than she had expected it should. She really wanted to observe Piper's reactions to the old movie. It was one of her favorites and she was truly interested in the blonde's opinion. They sat down next to each other on the sofa. They were close to one another, yet not touching. Piper could feel the pleasant warmth of Alex's body so close to her, yet so far away. It made her skin tingle in all the right places.

Piper turned on the projector and the movie started to play on a big white screen that was hanging from the ceiling.

"Cool toy. Do you often have such movie nights here?"

"Actually, it was the first one in this way. It's a new toy that I've always wanted to have so this morning I thought 'ah what the hell'… I think I love good films almost as much as I love good books so I went movie shopping and here were are." Piper smiled as the first pictures of _Nosferatu_ appeared on the screen and when Alex heard first dialogues she couldn't contain her excitement.

"Where the hell did you find the original German version of this?! I've been trying to get that for years!" Her face looked as that of a small child who's just unwrapped a perfect present and Piper felt extremely happy to be able to bring such joy to the brunette. She was actually hoping to surprise Alex but she didn't realize she would be that thrilled upon seeing the original movie.

"Well… I actually know one guy who works at movie theatre archives... I might have asked him to pull some strings for me. At the end there are also interviews with the cast and the director. We can watch that later too." Piper smiled satisfied.

Alex was really ecstatic to watch the film. Suddenly, all her tiredness washed away from her. She was a true cinema lover and seeing this version of one of her favorites pleased her beyond any measure.

They were going into the second half of the movie when Piper stood up to bring them some more wine and a blanket since it got quite chilly in the apartment. Maybe it wasn't really the temperature but rather the tiredness that was slowly creeping into their bodies despite being entirely engrossed in the film. By now she and Alex were sitting close to each other, their legs touching and Alex hand would sometimes wander to her thigh when she was pointing to the blonde some elements of the scene that she wanted her to pay closer attention to. It wasn't anything sexual, it actually felt really natural to Piper after a few minutes. She felt comfortable with Alex, at ease. Maybe it was the marvelous working of the wine or maybe the easy-going atmosphere… Probably both. Yet, Piper couldn't help the feeling that having such nice nights with the brunette felt like home. Her apartment didn't seem so cold and lonely anymore, as long as Alex was there. When Piper realized where her mind was heading she shook her head to clear her thoughts. How could she even think like that when she hardly knew the brunette. _This is ridiculous, Piper, and you know it_. – she scolded herself inside her head.

After another half an hour or so the movie finally came to an end and Alex couldn't wait to hear Piper's opinion.

"So? What do you think?" The detective felt a little bit nervous. Maybe the movie made such a big impression only on her and Piper was just trying not to get asleep through it all…

"Oh my God. It's wonderful! I love the imagery. It's ominous and haunting in every way. Wow… While the moments that are faithful recreations of the Murnau film are fun to see, the unique scenes that Herzog brings to his version, specifically the opening shots of the mummies and the sequences in the town when everyone knows they are going to die from the plague, are without question my favorites. And once again oh my God, Klaus Kinski! No wonder he's Herzog's legendary muse. A wonderful actor."

Alex was in awe. While Piper's rambling wouldn't stop the brunette was surprised to hear how much Piper actually knows about the history of the world cinema. She was equally excited about it as Alex.

"How come you know about Murnau?" The brunette asked and she was really curious.

"Well, who hasn't seen _City Girl_ or _4 Devils_? C'mon, Al."

"Well… about 99% of Americans? I love _City Girl_ , by the way. And I wish I could also see _Faust_ in its original, German, version. Can you ask that friends of yours if he can maybe locate that?"

"It might be difficult since it was released in 1926, but I'll ask him. Who knows? Maybe we'll be lucky. That would be great to compare with Sokurow's modern version of the story."

The cop's smile grew wider by the second, really threatening to split her face in two. She loved how Piper's eyes sparkled and how agitated she seemed while talking about something so passionately. She was too focused on admiring the blonde's face and didn't hear a question that was thrown her way.

"Huh?" She asked confused.

"I asked if you wanted to see the interviews that I mentioned before. I haven't seen them either. They could be fun and give extra insight…" And somewhere during her happy jabber Piper realized that it was nearly 4 am and it dawned on her that Alex must be dead tired after a difficult day at work and that she was probably due to be back at the station in just a few hours and her eyes went wide with worry. "Oh damn, you must be so tired right now and I can't stop rambling. I'm so sorry. You probably want to go home and rest. We can watch the interviews some other time or I can just lend you the DVD or rather Blue-Ray. If you don't have the equipment I can lend you that too, you know. No problem." For some reason Piper just couldn't make her lips to shut up and Alex found that extremely cute. Out of nowhere, she felt an irresistible urge to kiss the blonde so she did just that.

And suddenly there was quiet. Piper had heard million stories of how fireworks explode in your head when you kiss the right person but she hadn't believed in them. She still didn't believe in any stupid fireworks because when she felt Alex's lips on her own, a huge thunderstorm erupted in her head and it was sending lightenings down her spine. She was slightly dizzy and it took her a mini-second to respond but when she did she could feel Alex smiling into the kiss, the last of little anxiety leaving her body. For a while they continued to explore each other's mouths without a haste. Alex could feel a tingling taste of dry wine still slightly lingering on Piper's lips and it excited her. In fact, everything about the blonde excited her. Slowly the kiss started to heat up but soon both of the women felt the lack of oxygen and their lungs were burning and screaming for air.

Finally, Piper was the first to break the kiss although she did it with great reluctance. They were still sitting on the sofa, the only light coming from the white blaring screen at the end of the room. Their foreheads were touching and Piper didn't really remember how the hell she ended up on Alex's lap with her hands wrapped around the neck of the raven beauty. Yet, she felt comfortable right where she was. It didn't seem awkward or rushed in anyway and considering Alex's wide smile and sparkling green eyes looking right through her blue pools, she also didn't mind their current position.

Hell, Alex was far from that. She was unable to pinpoint a moment in time of her life when she would be equally content and excited at the same time. The curve of Piper's slim waist seemed to have been created just for her hands to find rescue there. When the blonde leaned in and hid her face in the crook of Alex's neck, placing a single light kiss on the pulse point, Alex knew she belonged there. They stayed in that position for a while until the brunette kissed Piper's hair and lifter her chin so she could look into her face.

"I don't have to be at the station until later in the evening." She smiled at Pieper. "I'm dying to see those interviews." She grinned when Piper's face showed a trace of excitement again. "But I need to stretch my back if you don't mind." Piper squealed when Alex suddenly laid back pulling the blond down with her. She could feel her body landing flush on her own and it felt marvelous. Piper's giggling was sending goosebumps all over her body and it really made Alex happy. She didn't fully understand her own feelings which clearly surprised her but for the time being she didn't care for a in depth analysis. She was stuck in a moment but this time it was a pleasant one.

"You dork!" Piper was still chuckling and Alex pecked her lips quickly again.

"You nerd!" This time Piper faked an insulted face and Alex pecked her lips yet again making the blonde smile widely like a fool. Feeling a little bold, Piper kissed the detective with more passion this time. She really wished she could do that forever. Just lying here in the warmth of Alex's body, enjoying her perfect lips which tasted of wine and just her sweet self. It all made Piper a little bit light headed but when Alex's hand moved tentatively under her T-shirt to lightly touch her lower back, goosebumps erupted all over her body and she felt pleasant heat growing in her core. Piper had never been so worked up by just a single touch and a few kisses. This surprised and amused the blonde at the same time and when they broke for air and Alex started kissing down her smooth neck Piper couldn't stop a mall chuckle escaping her lips.

"What's so funny?" Alex leveled their eyes and laughed herself.

"Oh, nothing. I just like your lips. They're so delicate…" Piper stroked Alex's lower lip with her thumb. She looked almost mesmerized at their shape and softness. At the moment they were a little brighter color of red, clearly an evidence of their making out. It made Piper a little proud even. She still wasn't able to comprehend how she ended up in this situation. Just a few days prior it seemed simply impossible and now… She was able to bury her hands into Alex's long black hair and had the sweet opportunity to ravage her lips as she pleased. She kissed her again and felt Alex's tongue slide along her lower lip, begging for entry. The brunette's hands returned under Piper's T-shirt but this time went slowly up along her ribs and when they cupped Piper's bra-covered breasts, the blonde couldn't help a light moan which was swallowed by Alex who continued to kiss her with more and more intensity.

Their breathing was getting a little bit more labored by the minute. Piper's hands had mind of their own and travelled up and down Alex's toned torso, shyly avoiding the brunette's abundant breasts, even though she was highly tempted to let her hands wander there too. Alex turned them swiftly around so that Piper was now laying comfortably on the sofa with a fluffy pillow under her head. She was surprised at Alex's strength. She knew the brunette had to be fit to be an active police officer but the fact that she was able to change their position so smoothly really turned Piper on.

Piper sat up to look into Alex's darkened green eyes and what she saw in them made her shiver. Alex cocked her eyebrow at the blonde and kissed her lips again. She was also quite worked up. Everytime she touched Piper's skin she could feel her own fingertips tingling. She was all buzzing with excitement and even though she had been with many women before, it was first time she felt such a longing to touch another person, to caress the smooth skin, to taste Piper's every spot, to hear her moan more. Every reaction she got from the blonde was utterly mesmerizing. Alex could swear her heart had never been beating faster than in this moment.

She felt Piper's trembling fingers tugging at the buttons of her shirt and she allowed the blonde to take it off. When she saw Piper's gaze full of awe, she couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her mouth.

"Like what you see?"

Piper was caught off guard. Her cheeks were rosy from all the excitement running in her veins but Alex's playful question made them turn even a little bit darker shade of red and Alex giggled some more. How come Piper could be so alluring and adorable at the same time? In Alex's opinion, those two features never went together. Her partners in bed were never sweet. Sexy? Sure. Luscious? You bet. Beautiful? Usually. But sweet, adorable and alluring still the same? This was a first and everytime Alex looked into Piper's eyes, which were full of adoration and merit at the same time, made Alex's heart beat a little bit faster. She swore she could drown in those baby blues. And exactly that thought confused Alex. She was never like that. Never thought too much about her encounters. And that was it. Was it just an encounter? One time fun?

Alex stream of thoughts was stopped by Piper kissing her lips again and all the musings went to thin air when she felt the blonde finally muster the courage and touch her ample breasts through the thin fabric of her bra. She was sure Piper could feel her nipples standing proudly. The brunette was keen to feel Piper's soft skin as well and in one swift move got rid of her T-shirt, pampering her long neck with soft kisses until she sucked lightly at Piper's pulse point, making her moan at the incredible feeling. The blonde was sure there would be a mark in the morning and even though usually she would be pissed at something like this, this time she felt only sheer excitement at being marked by Alex.

Just when Alex was about to continue her journey down Piper's lovely chest, she heard her phone buzzing on the coffee table. She was truly trying to ignore it for a while but when it wouldn't stop after fifth ringtone, she groaned with frustration and sat up, leaving Piper slightly confused. The blondes breathing was slightly elaborated, her cheeks flushed and Alex thought for a second that she had never seen anything more beautiful that just that sight. Yet, another ringing began and turned Alex attention elsewhere. When she saw who was trying to contact her, she pecked Piper's lips and stood up.

"Give me a minute. I really need to get this."

 _Alex: Stella, what's up?_

 _Stella: Where are you? I thought you would be home by now._

 _Alex: Are you at my place? What's going on?_

 _Stella: Didn't you get the message? There's another body. Caputo wants us all in at the station ASAP._

 _Alex: OK, I'll meet you there. I'll explain later._

Alex left to the kitchen area strolling slowly up and down the length of it as she was talking on the phone. Piper could hear some of it from the distance. Apparently she was talking to some woman named Stella and the blonde was doing all she could not to get upset about it. How stupid is it to get jealous over someone after just one make-out session, right? Besides, there was probably nothing to worry about. Piper even didn't know who that other woman was. On the other hand… Who would call you in the middle of the night? A sister? Mother? A girlfriend? At that thought Piper's stomach turned into ice-cold stone.

 _Fuck, of course, someone like Alex cannot be walking just free, right… I did see her with some woman in that restaurant…_ \- Piper's mind started to go a million mile by second. She wasn't really angry, rather disheartened and even that feeling confused her. She shouldn't react this way. Besides… She didn't know anything about Alex. That's what you get when you jump someone who you hardly know…

 _Wait, she kissed me first…_

Just as Piper was going into her second round of overreacting (typical for her), there was Alex again right in front of her. She kneeled down and kissed Piper sweetly on the lips, making Piper's internal rambling shut up at once. At least for now.

"I'm sorry for this but I really needed to take that phone…" Alex seemed hesitant for a second. "And I really need to go now."

This turn of events made Piper only more sure about her previous assumptions. She was a little upset about the whole situation.

"OK" Was all she could muster.

"Hey…" Alex lifted Piper's face so she would finally face her. "I am truly sorry. I will make it up to you, OK? I promise." The worry and sincerity in Alex's voice made Piper want to believe her. She decided to stop acting like a hurt baby. Besides, she was worried that the detective would see her as such, a moody youngster, since she really was a little younger than the brunette. Piper didn't want this to happen so she smiled as brightly as she could and nodded her head in agreement.

"I'm going to call you later." Another kiss on Piper's lips made her feel all warm and fuzzy again. "As soon as I can" Another kiss. "Get some sleep now, kid." Another kiss.

Piper stood up and walked Alex to the door. When she was back in her shirt and the rest of her clothes, the blonde hugged her tight and kissed her lightly on the neck. Alex was returned the gesture and kissed the blonde one more time.

"Thanks for tonight." The brunette smiled.

"Bye." Piper whispered before closing the door after Alex.

When she was alone, she leaned on the door, breathing deeply to calm her senses.

 _Oh boy… I'm in trouble…_


	6. Chapter 6

_**I would like to thank everyone here for your comments :-) They really encourage me to keep going with the story! You can't image how happy I am to know that you enjoy reading it just as much as I enjoy writing it.**_

– 6 –

Alex hopped into the car. Her hair was disheveled and her slightly rosy cheeks were such a unique sight that Stella couldn't contain the Cheshire-cat grin.

"What's so amusing?" Alex was clearly completely unaware of her looks at the moment.

"You."

"Is that so? Care to explain why?"

"Do I really have to? Me - picking you up at 5 am from the blonde's house; you - wearing that sweet smile, which is so rare to be seen, by the way."

"Fuck off, Carlin." Stella started laughing under her breath, by chance pissing the brunette off as well. "Besides… How the hell do you know that Piper lives here?"

"Well, I wasn't quite sure until right now. Thank you for the confirmation." Now Stella's grin mode was full on. She was actually quite proud of herself of having Alex figured out so fast. Normally, the taller woman wasn't that easy to read. The simple fact that she let her guard down so quickly only ensured Stella that indeed something was different this time around.

"Fuck off."

"You're repeating yourself"

"I am not talking to you." Alex tried to pretend that she was sulking. She refused to face the shorter girl, yet Stella could still see Alex's smiling reflection in the car window and it made her happy.

Ever since Alex's mother's death, the detective hadn't been herself. Gone was her bright smile, beaming green eyes turned grayish and the signs of her insomnia were clearly visible every day. Everyone at the station worried about her but refused to address the issue, knowing that Alex was a highly private person and she wouldn't talk to them much anyway. For the last two years Alex's life consisted mainly of work and evening booze with her colleagues. From time to time she would visit some gay bar just to get laid, which was easy with her startlingly stunning looks. Some of these women tried to hang around for longer (some of them did that quite persistently, to Alex's utter horror and her colleagues' utter amusement) but each and every time Alex refused to commit. As if she was afraid to trust anyone and get closer with them.

The fact that this time it seemed a little different, judging by Alex's own behavior, made Stella curious about the young girl. She really wanted to meet the object of her friend's blooming affection. If Alex liked her so much, she must be someone interesting. So far, Stella hadn't met her in person (apart from the one time she saw her sleeping in the cell). She decided that she must find a way to get to know the blonde. Maybe she would trick Alex into inviting Piper to their Friday booze night. A little tradition practiced by the people from their police team. Every Friday they would go to their favorite bar just to get wasted. They called it their "little reset event." It usually helped them forget the horrors of their difficult and emotionally draining jobs. Somehow the world seemed to be a better place when you were intoxicated enough not to see it clearly.

After a few quiet minutes of the ride, the two women reached their destination – the crime scene. Caputo had called Stella just before she picked Alex up and told her to actually go directly to the victim's house. Their whole team was already there and both women observed their work from a car for a while. They needed a minute to gather their thoughts before they entered the house where for sure they would face another body.

Brooke Soso, their best crime scene investigator, was trying to collect some prints from the widow frame. John Bennet and Big Boo, two good cops from their team, were talking to some witnesses who had gathered just in front of the yellow police tape. There were many police cars with their blue lights still on and the whole scene looked dramatic. It had never been so before and it stirred an uneasy feeling in the pit of Alex's stomach. Something was even more wrong than the usual. When she saw Caputo heading to the house together with Sam Healy, their head of CSI, both Alex and Stella whispered "fuck" under their noses.

"This is bad… Like really bad… Did Caputo tell you anything over the phone?"

"Nope. We better get there before he starts calling us both again. He looked stressed out. Fuck, I'm not sure I wanna get into that house."

"I guess we have no other choice, buddy." Alex moved to get out of the car but Stella stopped her.

"What?"

"I know you're gay and all… but you might wanna put your shirt buttons straight. Someone must have been in a hurry when they did them." Stella's grin was back and Alex's had mixed feelings whether to punch her for being an ass or thank her for making the whole crime scene situation a little lighter, even if just for a short while. She straightened her shirt and got out of the car.

Stella and Alex entered the house. It was flooded by various technicians who were trying to do their job best they could. Even though the whole place was pretty crowded, the rooms seemed eerie quiet, the heavy atmosphere was palpable and it made both women sick to their stomachs. This was fucked up and for some reason Alex was pretty sure she had seen this house before but she was unable to figure out when and on what occasion.

And then she saw her. Natalie Figueroa, called "Fig" by her friends and co-workers, the chief of police in the flesh. This was her house. She was standing next to Caputo. It was clearly visible that she had been crying and Alex's captain was trying to console her somehow, which wasn't easy. Some paramedics were there with them as well, trying to give Fig some medicines, which she seemed to be refusing.

"Fucking shit…Fuck, fuck, fuck…" Stella was whispering so that only Alex could hear her. She was obviously getting more and more stressed out by the second. " . …"

"Calm down." Alex squeezed her arm lightly. "It's going to be OK." She said that but Alex wasn't sure of that herself. She knew that this is going to complicate everything and now the stakes were much higher than before. Everybody knew that Fig's young daughter was gay and the chief often got involved in various campaigns for equality and so on. The woman was a pain in the ass at times and maybe she wasn't well-liked by her subordinates but she definitely was highly respected for her working standards. Her husband was a governor and at present he was on a business trip to Washington DC, advocating for a prison system reform. Alex knew that from a local newspaper. This was a prominent family, well-known and well-liked by the local society. This case was bound to end up in the morning news. Alex's case was officially a public issue from now on. Everyone would shadow her every move from now on as well.

Alex swallowed hard and waved at Caputo, indicating that they were finally at the scene. Their boss excused himself from Fig, making sure that the paramedics were taking proper care of her, and walked to the women.

"How fucking long do I have to wait for you two?"

"We…" Stella started but was interrupted by Caputo.

"Doesn't matter now. Let's go upstairs to Mel's bedroom. That's where Natalie found her and her girlfriend." Alex's eyes went wide in sheer panic.

"There's TWO of them?!" She asked a little bit louder than she had intended and Caputo looked at her surprised. "Sorry." She whispered in a second. She was just shocked. How fucking bold can that monster be?!

"Keep calm, Vause. It's not a good time to let our feelings pop up. And to answer your question: yes, there are two victims. Melanie Figueroa, aged 17, and Jessica Spencer, her also 17-year-old friend. They must have been ambushed at home. Both strangled to death in Mel's room." Caputo was struggling emotionally. He knew both girls since his and Fig's families knew each other pretty well and met on many occasions. His own daughter was Mel's age.

When they entered the teenager's room it was uncanny. The whole area was brightly lit in order to help the technicians collect the evidence but now there was only one of their CSI there and it was Sam Healy, the head of the whole CSI himself. He was looking at the scene with his calm eyes. Obviously, making sure that nothing was left unchecked. Probably he would be supervising the evidence in this case in person. It was a good thing actually since he was widely known in the country as one of the best experts in the field. Nothing ever escaped his attention.

"Mr. Healy, good to see you here." Stella shook his hand.

"Well, I must admit I wish I didn't have to be here at all." He stated with a sad, uncomfortable smile.

"What do we have here, Sam?" Alex was keen to find out as much as she could and as fast as she could.

"Both girls were killed here. There's no evidence of a big fight or anything so I think that the perpetrator might have restrained first one girl and then got to the other… It's just a wild guess. I assume most people would try to fight him, especially that there were two of them and he was alone. Unless, he wasn't alone… This is also very possible." Healy continued with his deep calm voice. It took a lot to make him angry and he never, ever raised his tone. This feature made him one of the favorite people in the whole department. Even in the heat of a difficult investigation Healy was able to calm everybody down.

Unfortunately, this time it didn't work for Alex. She could feel her palms sweating and her heart rate was definitely higher than the usual. Even though she hadn't slept for a while now, the adrenaline pumping in her veins made her super alert.

"DNA? Fingerprints? Fibers? Anything?" Stella asked but she knew that the answer to all of these would be a 'no' and when she looked at Healy, he only shook his head and slumped his arms. Even he seemed to feel defeated at that point.

"There's nothing for me to collect here. This fucker is good."

"When was she found?" Stella wouldn't give up asking more and more questions. She really wanted to get whoever did this.

"Over an hour ago."

"Fig?" It was Alex's turn to enquire and when she heard Caputo's positive answer, she felt cold seeping down her spine. Figueroa maybe wasn't her favorite person on the planet but no mother ever deserved to see their child like this. "Fuck… What do we do now, boss" She looked up to Caputo.

"It's your investigation."

"Fuck."

"You should talk to the press. They're already pissing our people off outside. Those piranhas won't go away until you give 'em something to munch on. Just don't say too much. Basics. Two bodies, you can't say much due to the ongoing investigation."

"OK…" If Alex was nervous before, now her anxiety was sky-rocketing but she had to do what she had to do… She was the lead detective here and the fact that Caputo put so much trust on her should have made her proud. It was obvious that he was trying to give her some freedom of decision here. It was her turn now to show off her investigative skills. Alex truly appreciated this but why the hell did it have to be so damn difficult?

– – –

 _Meanwhile at Piper's flat_

A shrill ringing tone of Piper's cell made her jump almost to the ceiling. The blonde hated being woken up in such a crude manner and she promised to put daggers into whoever had set this fucking noisy ringtone. When she saw Nicky's name on the display she was fairly sure who's gonna be dead the next time she meets them.

 _Piper: The fuck, Nichols?!_

 _Nicky: I thought you might like that sound._

 _Piper: Fuck you._

 _Nicky: You wish. But that's not why I'm calling. Turn on your TV like riiiight now. And I mean it. Fast, fast, fast…_

Even though Piper's annoyance was reaching its limit, something in Nicky's voice forced her to head to the living room and switch on the news channel. The moment she did that, her jaw dropped to the floor. What or rather who was staring at her from the screen was none other than Alex Vause. She was still wearing the clothes from the night and it was clear that she was tired. Yet, her black-rimmed glasses and deep confident voice made her alluring even more than ever before.

 _Piper: Fuck me._

 _Nicky: I wasn't calling for that either. Unless, you said it to the sexy ass on the screen. Isn't that Alex? 'Cause if that's her and that's her investigation, I'm afraid she won't have too much time to spare for you, hon…_

 _Piper: She was here last night, after you guys left._

 _Nicky: OK… And when were you planning to tell me that?_

Piper was confused for a second. It was barely 10 am.

 _Piper: I'm telling you now, asshole._

 _Nicky: I'll be at yours in 20._

While waiting for Nicky to arrive Piper continued to watch the detective giving a public statement about the murders and the ongoing investigation. She looked very professional and collected and it amazed Piper that the brunette was able to keep herself calm in such situation. Piper was sure that she would flip if she were to wear her shoes.

Just when the news report was about to end Piper's buzzer went off indicating the arrival of her lion-haired friend. And sure when she only opened the door there she was with a packet of donuts and two huge paper cups of coffee.

"Care for breakfast? Latte with no sugar, right?" Nicky grinned.

"Oh, you know me well."

"Not so well, apparently. That info about Alex visiting you late at night did surprise me, indeed my dear." Then Nicky's eyes landed on a dark hickey on Piper's neck. "And as I can see, that was a very interesting night." She grinned wiggling her eye-brows at the blonde, whose cheeks managed to turn crimson red when she realized where Nicky was looking.

"It's not what you think…" Piper started but stopped in her tracks when she saw Nicky's I'm-not-buying-that face. "OK… Maybe a little it is but not really?" Piper sounded less and less convincing even to herself. Overall she was utterly confused about her, about Alex, about her AND Alex…

"Judging by Alex's super tired composure from just a few minutes ago, she didn't get much sleep last night." Nicky was having a blast. It's not often that she can witness Piper squirming like that. It's an adorable view, really.

"Oh, it's because Herzog…"

"What? What the fuck is that?" It was the wild-haired girl's turn to get confused.

"You mean 'who'…'Who' the fuck is that. And it's a filmmaker. Doesn't matter…"

"OK… I guess it's official now, then."

"What's official?"

"That you've found your own nerd that matches your own nerdiness. I never thought it would be possible. I'm impressed."

Piper started laughing. Yeah, Nicky might be right for once. She did find her own nerd and she adored everything about her. Alex was not only beautiful, smoking hot in fact, but also highly intelligent and her knowledge of literature, film history and other fields of culture (and not only) truly impressed Piper. The only thing that kept her mind clouded was the vision of Alex actually being taken and just playing with Piper. The blonde started to realize that such a scenario would really piss her off. It's not that she actually minded just having some fun with someone. She was never fast to be judgmental for such behaviors, but she really wanted Alex to be honest with her. A single thought of the brunette being with someone else caused Piper's stomach to turn into stone. Jealousy is a sneaky green monster. Piper had never known this feeling till today and she really wished it to go away. She did not like it one bit.

Piper was sitting on her comfy sofa with Nicky, drinking their coffees and munching on their sweet breakfast treats when she heard her phone beeping, indicating an incoming text.

[Alex to Piper] 11:03

 _Hey, Pipes. How's your morning? I hope you didn't have vampire infested dreams this night ;)_

Piper's face broke in smiles and she felt funny bubbles in her stomach. Of course, Nicky noticed her friend's change in mood and started sniggering quietly next to her with a knowing look.

"What?"

"It's a 'who' not 'what,' isn't it?" Nicky shot back with a grin.

"Fuck off." The grin on Piper's face wouldn't stop growing.

[Piper to Alex] 11:05

 _No, vampires stayed away. Although, Nicky noticed this morning one bloody mark on my neck, so maybe one vampire did get me after all. ;))_

Piper was satisfied with her answer. A little bit of flirting wouldn't harm anyone, right? Besides, Alex must have been in a really gloomy mood this morning so Piper was honestly willing to do almost anything to brighten her day, even just a notch.

[Alex to Piper] 11:07

 _Sorry for that. Next time I promise to behave…_

Piper's smile dropped a little. This wasn't how she pictured this conversation going. On the other hand, it wasn't really surprising. Alex was under a lot of stress at the moment and flirting with some overexcited girl was probably the last thing on her mind. Piper was just about to answer the brunette with some less flirty and more appropriate text when she heard her phone beep again.

[Alex to Piper] 11:08

… _and leave the bite marks someplace only I would later be able to see._

"Oh god…" Piper didn't plan to voice her thoughts… On the other hand, her mind had actually gone blink after reading Alex's last text. Piper was flirty? She was nothing compared to the brunette.

"I guess it's something good." Nicky laughed. "And now you look like a ripe tomato, so it's probably something very good."

"Yeah, she's very good, indeed." Piper couldn't contain the warm feeling that was growing inside her. Right this second she was simply happy and she didn't want to think of any other possibilities than of the one including her and Alex getting to know each other better. No matter the consequences.

"Why don't you just ask her out? Maybe she can use a nice dinner. Just don't cook, we all know how that tends to end."

"Oh, fuck off, Nichols."

"You sure talk a lot about fucking tonight so really, do something about it."

"OK, that's it. OUT. I need to gather my thoughts." Piper was laughing and pushing giggling Nicky out of her door.

"Ugh, right. Gather thoughts. Rather tricks of how to lure some…"

"OUT, out, out!" Finally, Nicky was on the other side of the door but the blonde was still able to hear her laughing out loud. She wasn't mad at Nicky, she just really needed to focus on what to do next and analyzing things was always easiest for Piper when she was alone. After a moment of battling her own thoughts she made up her mind.

[Piper to Alex] 11:15

 _How about dinner at my place later tonight? I gotta admit my cooking skills suck more than vampires suck blood but I can try not to poison you. :)_

[Alex to Piper] 11:17

 _Your invitation skills also suck. Advice no 1: don't admit that you're a bad cook if you want to invite someone to your dinner. Advice no 2: your place? Aren't you being a little obvious?_

Piper's grin grew, if that was even possible by that point.

[Piper to Alex] 11:20

 _One: I'm being honest here – you should appreciate. Two: I'm being practical – you should also appreciate._

[Alex to Piper] 11:21

 _Hmm… I like those in a woman. Be there by 8 pm. :)_

– – –

Even though Alex was practically sleepwalking around the station by the time the huge clock on the wall showed 10 am, Piper's invitation was extremely difficult to pass. The brunette figured that she would be able to drop by her own flat to take a quick shower and change her clothes before going to Piper's. One more coffee… or ten… and she would be good to go.

This morning had been a full disaster so far and she was dreaming of a quiet night in. Her head was thumping so badly that it was difficult to think about anything, not to mention analyzing complicated files, rapports and data connected with the investigation. At the moment it was nearing 6 mp and Alex was back by her desk, staring blankly at the wall behind Stella. The shorter woman had her nose buried in the files.

"It seems that Melanie attended some party at The Glam the night before the murders. She had a fake ID and that's how she managed to slip in. I bet there must be some tape recordings from the CCTV of the club. Maybe let's talk to them."

"I've already called them. They won't be able to give us the access to it before tomorrow, 1 pm at best. Their tech guy is away and apparently he's the only one with the key to the CCTV recording room."

"So what do we do now?"

"I think we should get some rest. My brain is fired. Yours probably too. It's been a long day and the forecast for tomorrow doesn't seem any better."

"Care to grab a beer before heading home?"

"Um… I actually have some plans for this evening. Next time?"

"Do they include one cute blonde?" Stella smiled knowingly.

"Maybe." Alex's mood also brightened a bit on the thought of Piper. Just the vision of meeting the young girl again made her feel better and the load seemed to be somehow lifted from her shoulders.

Both women got up to leave and Alex couldn't remember the last time she was so happy to leave the walls of the station behind her. She truly loved her job and it was the only thing that kept her going after her mother had passed away. Today was different, though, and Alex knew perfectly well why.


	7. Chapter 7

– 7 –

It was almost 9 pm and that meant that Alex was running late. She really was trying to be on time at Piper's place but the city traffic obviously did not give a shit about her plans. First, Alex was stuck in a jam when she was going home to refresh a little bit (putting enough make-up to cover the bags under her tired eyes proved to be far more time consuming than she had expected). Then, she got stuck again while driving to Piper and all of this made the detective anxious. She sent the blonde a text informing her that she would be late but Piper did not reply and it only doubled Alex's nerves. She was glad that she could speed up a little bit after she got away from the city centre.

Finally, at 8:57, she finally got to the location she was hoping to be at an hour earlier. Alex expected Piper to be pissed, especially since the younger woman did not try to contact her back. After a few deep breaths, Alex decided that she had nothing to lose and got out of her old car. The worst she could have to face is the wrath of the blonde and the brunette believed she could handle that.

Alex pushed the buzzer button of Piper's loft and waited… and waited… and waited… After a while she tried again… and again… AND again. Right when she was about to call the blonde the door made a sound indicating that she could enter.

"This is weird… Maybe she's pissed more than I've expected…" Alex looked at a small bouquet of daisies in her hand. "I should've picked roses…"

The brunette walked up to Piper's door and knocked tentatively. She really didn't know what to expect now. When after a minute or two the blonde didn't respond, Alex tried the doorbell and this time, after another agonizing minute, the door finally opened but instead of Piper all Alex could see were deep dark clouds of smoke. Something was obviously burning. Before the cop had a chance to say anything, the blonde run off back to the kitchen and various profanities could be heard spilling from her lips. Alex stood in the corridor confused as hell.

When Alex entered the kitchen she could finally witness the most hilarious scene she had ever had occasion to see. Piper was holding one frying pan under the tap (hence the smoke). Another pan was still burning on the stove (hence even more smoke…).

"What the fuck, Pipes?" Alex simply couldn't contain her laughter. It actually took her a while to even react and help the blonde whose head looked as if it was about to be on fire itself. Piper's face was bright red and she was obviously pissed and horrified at the same time. Something must have gone wrong with her "dinner plan." Horribly wrong, in fact. It was a miracle that the fire detectors hadn't gone off. That would have been even more spectacular to see since the blonde was wearing a thin white tank top and the pure thought of such a scenario made Alex grin unconsciously.

"What's so fucking funny?!" Piper couldn't contain her anger but Alex found that kinda cute.

"Your attitude." She smiled warmly.

Piper's shoulders slumped and she finally accepted the defeat. She should have listened to Nicky and never even attempt at cooking anything herself. It was bound to turn into some sort of disaster. They were out of food (Piper gave a shot at this dish three times and now she figured that she should have been satisfied with the second try…) and the air smelled like scorched chicken. Actually, like a chicken that had burnt to ashes. She looked shyly at Alex trying to assess what the brunette might be thinking about her at this moment. She expected to see disappointment on her face but when she faced the detective, there was nothing else but pure amusement playing in her beautiful emerald eyes.

Now, when the coast was clear of any possibility of fire, Alex walked up to Piper and kissed her square on the lips. She was smiling like a lunatic and the whole situation caught Piper off guard. The kiss was so fast that she hardly registered it but when her brain finally decided to work somewhat properly it was too late to kiss Alex back since the brunette was already sitting by the breakfast table with a phone next to her ear.

"What are you doing?"

"Chinese?" Alex was still grinning so Piper figured that she wasn't mad after all.

"Just don't order anything with chicken, please. I don't think I could stand the smell of it." Piper whined.

"Nah, I think that we have enough of the chicken aroma." Alex said putting 'the chicken aroma' into inverted commas and Piper burst out laughing. She could finally feel the stress of the whole situation leaving her bones. Alex wasn't mad. She was amused. Piper didn't burn her chance with Alex to ashes together with the damn chicken.

When Alex was done with ordering their food, Piper came closer to her. She put her arms around the brunette's neck and kissed her thoroughly. She slid her tongue along Alex's lower lips asking for access which the brunette immediately gave. In the mean time she walked up closer to Alex so that the brunette's legs embraced Piper's slim frame.

"Hi." Piper said breathlessly after finally breaking the kiss to get some air into her burning lungs.

"Hi." Whispered Alex while looking at the blonde's lips. Their foreheads were touching and Alex was aching to feel more of Piper but right when she was about to let her hands wander down south, Piper took a step back from her, leaving Alex empty-handed and longing for more.

"Are these for me?" Piper pointed to the flowers which Alex left on the table.

"Nope, these are for the chicken's funeral." Alex couldn't help the joke.

"Fuck you." And Piper couldn't help the grin that enlightened her face.

"Hmm… interesting proposal." This got Piper blushing a little bit despite herself but before she could answer the brunette's banter, she older woman hugged her close and kissed her on the hair. Piper's head was nestled perfectly in the crook of Alex's neck and she felt herself relax even more. Everything seemed so natural and so right with that woman.

"How was your day?"

"Pretty good up till the cooking catastrophe…" She could hear light chuckling coming from above her head and she smiled into Alex's neck. She loved the way her skin smelled. Fresh and sweet… Maybe she was wrong but she could swear she could feel a light tone of marzipan, her favorite candy. "I met with Nicky and she actually told me to skip the cooking part but I just wouldn't listen. The recipe seemed easy, really." This evoked only more giggling from Alex.

"Well, next time just make sure you've got some fire extinguisher. Keep it safe." Piper shoved slightly Alex in her ribs making her burst out in laughter that the brunette was obviously trying to control for a while now.

"How was your day?" The blonde asked her in return after the ringing laughter died down a bit and even though Alex's was still smiling down at her, she could see that the detective must have been really tired. Suddenly, Piper wished she hadn't asked. She figured that Alex probably wanted to just relax and forget about the events of the day. "Sorry, I guess I don't have to really ask to know."

"Yeah, well. You've probably heard the news."

"It's horrible."

"I know."

"But maybe now, that it's official and everyone knows about the investigation, someone will call you guys with some tips or something? Publicity can be a good thing here, right?"

"Yeah, we'll see. I hope you're right because we're in the middle of a shithole. We don't have much to go further. Actually, we have nothing, nada, zero…" She looked down at Piper and smiled sadly. "Sorry, I'm just frustrated about it, I think. Let's not talk about it tonight, OK?"

"OK, of course." She took Alex's hand and led her to the living room. "Sit and relax. I'll grab some water for the flowers and I'll be right back with you. What do you say for a glass of wine?" She beamed sweetly at her companion.

"Sounds perfect." Alex felt a fuzzy warmth spreading over her every time the blonde showed her that cute pearly smile.

Soon their food arrived and both women were fully engrossed in conversation. For the first time in her life Piper felt totally easy at opening up to someone. She told Alex about her family and studies and soon the brunette had a pretty good picture of the blonde's situation.

"So, you know now why I'm so desperate to hang out with some normal people, like Nicky and Polly… Wait, I take it back. Like Polly, full stop. Nicky doesn't really meet the criteria."

"She sure puts you in trouble, kid. But I do like her." Alex grinned.

"What about you? Any brothers or sisters?"

"Nope, just me." Alex sipped her wine, clearly avoiding the subject. She hated talking about herself and she would find a way to avoid it no matter the circumstances. Piper was able to notice a slight change in her demeanor so she decided to let it go. Alex would come around in her own time and the blonde didn't want to push her.

After a while she stood up to clear the table a little bit and when she was in the kitchen she could hear Alex's phone going off.

 _Alex: Vause._

 _Stella: I know who the fuck I'm calling, you idiot._

 _Alex: Sorry, I didn't really look who was trying to reach me._

 _Stella: I couldn't sleep so I thought that maybe we could grab some drinks? What do you say?_

 _Alex: Not tonight, Stella. I'm tired, actually._

Alex didn't really know why she didn't tell her partner that she was at Piper's. She answered her friend more on reflex than anything else but Piper did hear the conversation from the kitchen and she was confused about this Stella girl even more than before. On the other hand, she really didn't want to mention this to Alex. At least not at this moment in time. She didn't want the older woman to think that she can be jealous like that even before they werereally together. Such behavior is never well seen and Piper was even angry at herself for having such stupid feelings. She'd never felt like this before and she hated it.

She waited until she was sure that Alex had ended her conversation with Stella. It was safer for her to pretend that she didn't really hear anything. Piper was afraid that if she asked Alex about her, the brunette would admit the woman was her girlfriend and even though Piper hated being "the other one," she hated even more having her nice little bubble of happiness broken to pieces. She tried not to think that soon something else might be in pieces and it was probably going to hurt even more.

She came back to the living room where she found Alex in a semi-lying position on the sofa. She was reading a novel that Piper started this morning and left it on the coffee table.

"I've always loved James Baldwin. He's got such an easiness in finding just the right words." Alex looked up from the book. "Have you read "Go Tell It on the Mountain" as well?" The brunette asked.

"Sure." Piper joined Alex on the sofa and the detective moved a little bit to allow her lying down comfortably in her embrace. "This one, "Giovanni's Room," is the sixth that I'm reading from his bibliography." She kissed lightly Alex's neck. Somehow she always ended up curled up in that spot. She was slowly growing to love this little piece of Alex's body (um… whaaat?).

"Here, read to me some." Alex said handing Piper the book and moving a little bit so that the blonde had a more comfortable position. This time it was the raven-haired woman's turn to curl up next to Piper. She didn't often find herself in such position but this time it felt pretty calming and relaxing and that's what she needed at the moment.

Piper started to read and after several minutes Alex thought that she would drift off to sleep but then she had a better idea. Slowly, she put her warm palm under Piper's top and began stroking little circles on her toned abdomen. The blonde obviously noticed her move but she pretended that nothing was going on and continued to read, hoping that her voice wouldn't quiver once Alex decided to do something more. Her ambitious plan fell through once she felt Alex's lips graze the skin just right under her left ear. The moment the brunette kissed her, Piper couldn't control a light shiver going down her spine. A fact that definitely did not go unnoticed by the taller beauty.

"Are you cold?" She asked innocently causing Piper to laugh a little.

"Quite hot, in fact." She answered as she turned her head to face her companion and the second she did that Alex kissed her lips with passion. She moved her hands fully under Piper's top, softly cupping the younger girl's breasts. This earned her a moan from the blonde and Alex couldn't help smiling into the kiss. The book that Piper had been holding just a moment ago was now lying under the coffee table, completely forgotten. Alex straddled her hips and started to kiss her down the neck at the same time pulling at her top which soon joined the book under the table.

Piper's hands were not idle either. She took off Alex's shirt and was mesmerized at the sight before her. The brunette's ivory skin and her ample bosom made Piper's mouth go dry and she had to swallow hard to find her voice.

"You're so beautiful, Al." No matter how hard she tried, her voice still came out a little shaky. Piper's statement took Alex a little bit by surprise. She was called many things before: hot, sexy… but not once was she described as "beautiful" and the way Piper uttered those words made Alex's heart skip a beat. When she looked into the blonde's ocean deep pools of blue Alex turned out to be lost for words. She could see in them nothing but pure admiration and fondness. Piper smiled at her and kissed her chest, just over her left breast. Slowly, her hands started moving down the brunette's muscular arms before the women finally intertwined their fingers.

Just as Alex's hands moved to remove Piper's bra, they heard a shrilling sound of the blonde's mobile and both women jumped slightly before turning into giggles.

"Nicky's changed my ringtone. I still have to kill her for this. Sorry." Piper smiled into another kiss while her phone continued to play its horrific serenades. They tried to ignore it but after somebody continued to call piper four times in a row and then sent her a text, Piper had enough. She stood up from the sofa to get it and when she read the text her eyes went wide. Her mother was threatening her that if she didn't call her back in 10 minutes she would come straight to Piper's flat.

"Fuck. It's my mother."

Alex stood up and pulled on Piper's hand making the blonde lean into her embrace. She kissed her on the back of her neck. "You'll call her in the morning. Come back here." She murmured into Piper's skin, trailing kisses down to her back, all the time playing teasingly with the clasp of her bra.

"I can't. Unless you want her to be on my doorstep in 15 minutes."

"God forbid! I've got nothing against meeting the mama but just not here and not now, baby." Alex kissed Piper's shoulder blade and reluctantly collapsed on the sofa. Piper's threw a soft blanket on the detective.

"It'll keep you warm while I'm gone. It's not gonna take more than a minute." She kissed the brunette and dialed her mother's number.

After five minutes Piper started to pace the living room, after ten minutes she was close to killing her mother. When it was minute number twenty she had enough of listening to her mother's rambling about some young man who's just moved to their neighborhood. She truly tried to stop her mother and nicely say her goodbyes but her mother was obviously deaf and blind so when Piper felt her own ears steaming, she pretended that there was some problem with the line and hung up abruptly.

"I'm so sorry, Al. She just wouldn't shut up and…" When she entered back the living room she saw Alex lying on the sofa. She was partly covered with the blanket but most of her beautiful body was on full display and Piper felt herself getting excited again. Her eyes started roaming up to Alex's calm face. She was asleep.

"Alex?" She tried softly but the brunette was gone to the world and Piper chuckled to herself. "Yey for you, Chapman… Bore your date do sleep…" She carefully joined Alex on the sofa and when she lied down the brunette on impulse put her protective arm around Piper's waist. She snuggled closer in her sleep and continued her slumber. "Hope it doesn't become some pattern here." She mused to herself. The blonde covered them both with the blanket and soon drifted off to sleep as well.

– – –

Alex woke up with a startle and for a second she was quite confused as of where she was. Only when she felt a light weight on her shoulder, all the events from the previous evening flew back to her and slowly her clouded mind started to work again. Carefully, she reached out for her mobile which was lying on the table and checked the time. It was almost 5 am and it pleasantly surprised the detective. She didn't remember when was the last time that she had slept so many hours without waking up through the night. She felt rested and relaxed and when she looked down at the sleeping form of her blonde beauty she smiled to herself. Then she realized that both of them were clad only in their jeans and bras and she marveled at the warmth of Piper's body. Suddenly she felt conflicted. On the one hand, she knew she should let Piper sleep… On the other, she was really tempted to touch her, wake her up… After battling herself for a while she decided to be a good girl and let Piper rest.

And her resolve lasted full five minutes.

She started kissing down Piper's neck and didn't stop until she reached her breasts. She cupped them softly in her hands and the blonde stirred slightly. Alex smiled and sucked Piper's bra covered nipple into her mouth evoking a deeper breath from Piper. She was slowly stirring awake and Alex was adamant to wake her up in the most pleasant way. She slowly pushed Piper's bra straps down and carefully unclasped it. She pushed the material down the blonde's torso and let it fall to the floor right at the same time when she licked Piper's erect nipple, circling it lightly with her tongue before sucking it into her mouth.

"Alex…"

Piper's hand flew to Alex's dark locks holding her in place. The blonde's back was arching into Alex's touch as the brunette's hand cupped the other breast, her fingers rolling the nipple which by that time was painfully stiff. After a while Alex moved her lips also to the other breast and when Piper moaned and her hips buckled seeking any kind of friction in the place she needed Alex the most, the older woman started to move agonizingly slowly down Piper's body. She showered her flat belly with kisses and unbuttoned her jeans. In one smooth movement she took the rest of Piper's clothes off and when she looked back at the blonde, Alex's heart almost burst out of her chest. Here she was, lying stark naked. Her legs were slightly parted and Alex could see a light layer of moisture gathering at her core.

Piper blushed under Alex's focused gaze and on reflex tried to cover herself with her arms.

"Please, don't…" She took Piper's hand in her own and brushed it with her thumb. She kissed Piper's lips and when she felt the younger woman beginning to relax again she moved her lips southwards to where she really wanted to be. When she reached her mound, Alex kissed the soft trimmed patch of hair on its top and she heard Piper's voice hitch in her throat. She moved a little to kiss the delicate skin between the thigh and pussy. When Alex's nostrils were filled with Piper's sweet aroma and her mouth watered just at a pure thought of the taste that she was about to experience.

"Al, I need you. Please…" Piper stopped in a midsentence when she felt Alex's tongue lick her core right from her opening to the top but when the brunette carefully sucked at her pulsing clit, Piper's eyes rolled back into her head and this time she was unable to keep a long moan from leaving her lips. It was music to Alex's ears and she felt getting more and more turned on by this. She had always enjoyed pleasing other women but this time she was more excited than ever. She was sure her own panties must have been ruined by now. Yet, she continued to focus on the blonde who started to writhe under her. Alex could sense Piper getting closer and closer to the edge. She teased Piper with her dexterous fingers, softly circling her entry and feeling the muscles there trying to clasp her every time she pushed a little deeper, and when Piper thought she was going to go mad with need and despair, Alex slid two of her fingers in and started pumping at an increasing pace. This drove Piper crazy and within just minutes she felt herself being right at the very edge. If that wasn't enough, what Alex did next, definitely was. The brunette started to curl her fingers stroking that special spot on Piper's front wall and she sucked her clit into her mouth at the same time. That was it. The next thing she knew, Piper was falling and her mind went completely blank.

After Alex felt that Piper gave her everything she could, she kissed her oversensitive clit tenderly. She continued the kisses until she reached the blonde's lips. Piper could feel herself on Alex's tongue and it made the fire in the pit of her stomach come alive again. She felt like some overexcited teenager.

"Oh my God…" She panted out when she was finally able to force her vocal cords to work somewhat.

"Horrible, wasn't it?" Alex couldn't help the smug grin.

"The worst… You're really bad at that." The blonde was still obviously on some sort of high and it amused Alex. "Can I do you?" Piper asked searching her eyes. A feeling of uncertainty was making an appearance on her young face and the detective chuckled a little.

"You don't have to ask." She simply stated and kissed Piper's lips again.

"I've never really…" The blonde blushed and Alex was truly surprised at what was unfolding here.

"Gone down on a woman before?" She asked with her eyebrows raised in a slight amusement.

"I mean…" Another blush from Piper and she whispered a shy "No" when she looked up at Alex and the older woman laughed with eyes full of merit. She didn't want to embarrass Piper but at the same time she found the whole situation rather cute and a little entertaining. She kissed her again if only just to show that she was entirely ok with this.

"What kind of a lesbian are you?" She asked jokingly when she saw that the blonde relaxed a bit.

"The boob touching type." She smiled sheepishly.

"All right, then… Are you ready to take the plunge, so to speak?"

"Are you gonna coach me through it?"

"Yeah." Alex grinned down at Piper. "But maybe first we should finally get to your bedroom." And at that, before Piper knew what was going on, Alex lifted her in her arms and the blonde was actually surprised at how strong Alex truly was. When Piper put her legs around the brunette's torso, her still soaking core grazed Alex's abdomen and both women shivered at the contact.

"Bed. Now." Piper murmured into the kiss. This perfect early morning was just beginning.


	8. Chapter 8

– 8 –

Alex dropped Piper onto the four poster bed and helped her move up against the headrest where the blonde was able to rest her body comfortably. Their lips were still interlocked and Piper figured that she knew what her new addiction would be. The brunette was turning her on so much that for a mini-second Piper forgot that it was actually her turn to ravage Alex. Not surprisingly, that thought only added fuel to the already burning fire in the pit of her stomach. The blonde was so excited and eager that when she finally grabbed the clasp of Alex's bra, she could feel her own hands shaking a little and it made her angry. She hated feeling like some teenage newbie again but at the same time she really wanted to make Alex feel at least half as good as the brunette had made her just a while ago.

Piper was trying to hide her nervousness but Alex turned out to be a very perceptive lover. She caught Piper's hands gently and kissed her knuckles smiling down at the woman for whom she was slowly growing truly fond feelings. She made her sit up so that they were very close to each other. Alex's legs were straddling Piper's hips and their chests were touching while Alex continued to leisurely kiss the younger woman. There was no heated rush this time. Just the two of them enjoying the closeness. After several minutes, Alex felt Piper relax into the kiss and as soon as it was temporarily over, the brunette pecked Piper's nose and brought their foreheads together.

"It's just you and me, Pipes." She kissed her slightly puffy lips one more time. "OK?"

"OK." Piper smiled brightly. She started kissing Alex along her collar bone and the brunette could swear that the temperature in the room was literally rising by the second. Piper saw goose bumps rising on the smooth ivory skin and she couldn't contain the pride that entered her excited mind. She was obviously doing something very right if she had managed to evoke such a reaction from the brunette. She fondled her ample breasts and when she felt Alex's nipples sticking through the thin material of her lace black bra, Piper moaned and suddenly became super-keen to taste them. She wondered if Alex not only smelled of marzipan but also tasted like her favorite candy. The silly thought made her smile against Alex's chest and right then she finally mustered the courage to unclasp the brunette's bra.

The sight in front of her eyes took Piper's breath away. Alex's skin looked as if it was glowing in the rays of the early morning rising sun. Her nipples were fully erect begging for Piper's attention. And her attention Piper gave to them. She cupped Alex's full bosom and slowly licked her way down from the brunette's ear to one of her standing proudly tips. Piper circled the light pink stiff aureole with her tongue before sucking the nipple into her mouth. Alex didn't taste like marzipan despite the smell that was now attacking Piper's nose receptors but it was equally sweet and even more addictive than anything Piper had ever experienced before. She heard Alex moan softly her name and if she hadn't been worked up earlier, her desire to please the brunette was sky-rocketing now.

Piper changed her position to allow Alex to lie down comfortably onto the fluffy pillows. Her hooded eyes were practically ravishing the blonde but this time the sight didn't make Piper feel shy. She was rather boastful that she succeeded at turning Alex into sexed-up creature who at the time was visibly struggling to contain herself from devouring the blonde alive right there and there. Piper latched onto Alex's breast again and didn't stop teasing her lover until she felt the brunette's hips buckling a little, even though she tried to keep calm and let Piper explore whatever she wanted and however long she wanted. Alex was definitely not going to rush the blonde into anything. She wanted to be sure that Piper was comfortable with how this was progressing but when the younger woman lightly bit down on her painfully erect nipple, she was unable to stop the long moan from leaving her lips and her hips from buckling a little harder than she had intended. Her body was on fire.

This time the blonde finally took mercy on her and started moving downwards, kissing and nibbling at every spot on her way. When she reached Alex's jeans' button, she quickly put the zipper down and slid the trousers down together with the panties, just like Alex had done to her back in the living room. Suddenly, Piper didn't feel like teasing much anymore and she was eager to get between Alex's legs.

What awaited her there made Piper's mouth water in an instant and for a second or two she just sat there mesmerized by Alex's striking body. Maybe the appreciating took Piper a while too long because Alex started to sit up, alerted that there might've been something wrong.

"Is everything alright? You really don't have to do this if…" She was silenced by Piper's hot lips. The blonde felt truly touched by the fact that the brunette, despite being the one at a desperate need of attention right now, was still concerned about Piper's reactions and feelings. It made her heart swell with fondness and it scared her a little how fast she was growing attached to the woman before her eyes.

Before Alex could utter another sentence, Piper started kissing back down her body.

"Pipes…" The brunette tried one more time. She really, really wanted Piper to be comfortable and enjoy this as well.

"Shhh…" Was all that she heard in return.

Upon reaching Alex's core, even though the blonde was tempted to just admire her lover for a while, Piper decided to dive right in, not giving her lover another chance to question her again. She circled Alex's clit with her tongue making any concern vanish from Alex's mind. In fact, the action rendered the older woman speechless. She had never been so worked up in her life, even though she had shared her bed with a number of various women. Piper was making her body tremble and her toes curl with every second the blond spent worshipping her. And maybe that was the whole point here? Alex felt being truly worshipped and not just used as another sex-toy.

When Piper sucked on her clit and slid her long fingers into her dripping core, Alex was ready to swear that she could see the stars. She would've laughed at herself if she hadn't been so busy moaning Piper's name. The blonde could feel the muscles so heavenly surrounding her fingers begin to flutter so she doubled her efforts. Remembering how wonderfully good it felt when Alex had done that to her, Piper curled her fingers slightly every other stroke and sure enough not long later she was rewarded with the most astonishing sight she had ever seen.

Alex head was thrown back in a quiet scream. One of her hands was gripping her own breast while the other tangled itself in Piper's messy locks. There were small beads of sweat on Alex's chest which was frozen in mid-breath. The sight made Piper's own core clench painfully. She continued to pump into her lover until she felt her muscles relax a bit. After that, she kissed Alex's upper thigh and abdomen before arriving at the brunette's lips.

"Wow…" Alex breathed out, her eyes till closed.

"Yeah?"

"Definitely yeah." The brunette chuckled to herself. "Are you sure you've never tried that before, kid?" She looked down at Piper with still slightly absent-minded eyes and the blonde broke out in a radiant smile. She cuddled with Alex, enjoying her warm embrace. She was happy. Truly happy. For the first time in her young life.

– – –

Over an hour later the reality hit them both hard when they realized that it was time to actually get up and face another day. They took a shower together but soon Alex basically kicked Piper out of her own bathroom, claiming that she wouldn't be able to even brush her teeth without jumping the blonde again (Piper continued to parade only in her underwear, obviously testing Alex's strong will). So after running out of the bathroom squealing (the result of Alex sprinkling her with ice-cold wather to shoo her out), Piper sat down on her bed to finish dressing up. Within few minutes Alex joined her but she was fully clothed already (much to Piper's disappointment).

"Maybe I'll make us some breakfast?" The blonde asked cheerfully.

"Umm… Maybe better not?" And both of them burst out laughing.

"By breakfast I meant coffee and cereal with milk." Piper grinned.

"Oh, OK then."

"Asshole."

"Just a responsible human being. I don't want you to put this building on fire."

Piper was ready to reply but Alex's lips prevented her from uttering another word. She smiled into the kiss. Yes, she was happy and she could definitely get used to that.

Unfortunately, her happy bubble burst when Alex's cell started to ring in the living room and the brunette said that she probably really needed to get that.

 _Alex: Vause._

 _Stella: I thought Mickey Mouse!_

 _Alex: God dammit, Stella. Will you drop it?_

Piper's ears perked up despite her better judgment. She tried to catch some of Alex's conversation. The blonde's mood wasn't so cheerful anymore but she decided to bite her tongue. She didn't want to have 'that conversation' with Alex just right now. She wasn't even sure how to approach the issue.

 _Stella: But it's so easy to pick on you._

 _Alex: You will pick on me all you want later. Now you're spoiling my good mood._

Alex was chuckling and Piper tried to do everything in her power to stop her raging feelings from erupting like a volcano.

 _Stella: OK. So I guess you're still coming to the bar this evening?_

 _Alex: Have I ever missed the Friday night with you?_

Piper could see that Alex was grinning like a madman. She was obviously looking forward to something and it made the younger's stomach cold like a stone.

 _Stella: You're right, I guess. But this is not what I was actually calling you about. Could you maybe get to my place first on the way to the station? My fucking car wouldn't start. I think I finally need to look for another one._

 _Alex: Of course, no problem. I'll be there in 15._

The brunette hung up the phone and entered the kitchen area. She was a little annoyed because now she had to leave Piper's apartment immediately is she were to go to Stella's and not be late for work. Caputo would've killed her for that now. The guy was constantly tired and angry nowadays and Alex didn't want to be the object of his wrath. He could be a stingy son of a bitch at times.

"Listen, Pipes, I actually need to go a little earlier. Something came up."

"Was that Stella?" Piper let the question slip from her tongue before she was able to stop it. Alex was slightly surprised at it but, of course, she didn't really think much of it.

"Yeah." The brunette started to gather her wallet, phone and the car keys. She was completely oblivious to Piper's saddened, slightly watery eyes. Alex's mind was already on the work mode, which made her very focused on the case and the tasks connected to it. And only that. She walked up to Piper and hugged her close and kissed her soundly.

"You must be kidding, Alex. You're just leaving like that?" Piper's foot in the mouth disease wouldn't let go that morning. This time Alex was truly confused by Piper's question.

"You know I have to. C'mon don't be a baby." She smiled warmly and kissed the blonde head, still completely clueless of Piper's thoughts.

"Fine." Piper's arms slumped. She really didn't want to start a fight now but she promised herself that she would ask Alex some specific questions as soon as she sees the brunette again.

"Hey, look at me." The detective lifted Piper's chin with her hand. "I'll call you later today, OK?"

"OK."

Alex left soon after that, leaving Piper standing in her apartment alone with her clouded thoughts.

– – –

It took Alex far less than 15 minutes to get to Stella's place and now she was sitting in her car, waiting for her partner. Her mind kept drifting to the last few minutes of the conversation she had had with Piper before leaving her flat. The blonde acted a little strange, something was not completely right but Alex, despite her great detective skills, just couldn't put her finger on it. For a second she even had a flash of a highly alarming thought – Piper regretted everything. But then again, up until Alex announced that she had to leave everything had seemed perfectly fine. This whole situation was tremendously confusing to the brunette. What was also different this time for Alex was the fact that she actually cared. She had an urge to text the blonde but then she thought that would make her look like some love-struck kid (whaaat? nope… the L word was not even in Alex's vocabulary, really). Finally, she dropped her phone into her pocket, deciding that she would call Piper during the lunch break.

Suddenly, the door to her car was pulled open and none other than Stella in the flesh jumped unceremoniously into the car, managing somehow to bump her head onto the roof of Alex's car.

"Fucking shit!"

"I literally have no fucking idea how someone as short as you ends up doing that almost each time." Alex laughed out loud.

"Your car doesn't like me."

"Looks like no car likes you. Your own just died on you so it wouldn't have to drive your sorry ass around."

"Funny." Stella was not amused this time. The fact that her old Ford decided to end its living was now a major problem for her.

"Don't worry. We'll just use my ride from now on until you get yourself something else."

"Thanks."

"I hope you won't get a head concussion or something." Alex continued to snigger at her petite friend.

"Oh, fuck of." Stella laughed.

Within half an hour they were at the station. Alex went to the coffee machine first. She needed some extra energy before meeting Caputo.

"No dark rings under your eyes, yet you need the caffeine. Hmm…" Stella appeared out of nowhere behind Alex, whispering into her ear. She startled the taller brunette since she was supposed to go straight to Caputo's office.

"Fuck." Alex cursed because she managed to spill some of the hot coffee onto her hand.

"And the small, yet lovely hickey on you lower neck also suggests something here." Stella continued to whisper in a Sherlock-like voice. "Ah, dear Watson, someone's got laid!" She giggled quietly so only Alex could hear her and she started to laugh.

"Since when you're so interested in my sex life?"

"Well, since you lie to me over the phone that you're too tired for a drink." Stella smiled.

"Sorry for…"

But the shorter woman lifted her finger, silencing Alex. "AND since you're genuinely smiling again. It's good to have you back." Stella finished her mini-speech smiling without irony in her eyes, which made Alex blush lightly. Just when she was about to answer her friend, Big Boo popped up next to them.

"What are you gossiping about, lesbos?"

"You, obviously. Your tremendous loss in our bet is still the topic number one." Stella shot back immediately. The two women made the bet of who would sleep with a bigger number of women within a week and Stella whipped Big Boo's ass.

"You did NOT say threesomes were an option, asshole!"

"I did NOT say they weren't." The shorter girl grinned and Alex chuckled at Big Boo's face expression which portrayed a pure threat of revenge.

"Anyway, that's not why I was looking for you." Big Boo turned to Alex.

"Oh?"

"Bennet told me to tell you that some woman was looking for you."

"OK… Who?"

"That I don't know."

Stella grinned because she knew what was coming next. She started counting quietly "3… 2… 1…" And then Alex went off.

"What the fuck should I do with such information?!" She huffed. "Where is he?"

"Home… His shift ended about an hour ago."

"Fuck… If you see him before me, tell him to call me. Immediately!" Alex continued to fume.

"So I'm a messenger now?"

"Until you, morons, learn to write down names and phone numbers, yes, you are a fucking messenger." Alex got really pissed off. She had told her colleagues numerously to take such notes and yet they never listened. That person, who was looking for Alex recently, might have been looking for her because she had some crucial information in their case. Now, Alex could only wait and hope that the woman would try to contact her again.

– – –

The meeting with Caputo took forever again and this time everyone was even more frustrated than on the previous one.

"I need results. I need to be able to tell the victims' families that we're getting closer to that fucker. Do you understand?"

Alex fully understood her boss's anger. She shared the feeling but remained silent throughout Caputo's tirades.

"Sam!" Everybody looked at the chubby head of the CSI. " What do you have for me?"

Alex felt a little sorry for him. It wasn't his fault that the killer had left basically no evidence whatsoever. It was clear that Caputo wouldn't like that information.

"Nothing. There were no shoe prints outside the house, no fingerprints. In fact, the bedroom was so clean as if someone had intentionally polished all flat surfaces. In the rest of the house we found many prints. All of them have been confirmed to belong to Fig, her daughter, husband, and a few friends, you included."

"So we have fucking nothing, indeed." Caputo fumed and then barked at Alex. "Alex! Maybe you've been more lucky?"

The brunette jumped a little upon hearing her own name. She felt like an unprepared kid called up to a blackboard. She was prepared but the problem was that, similarly to Healy, she also had nothing to report.

"Same thing here, boss. Nothing really to report. We've talked to the people from The Glam but nobody seems to remember anything. Nobody has seen the girls there. I suspect people don't want to talk to us since both girls were under age. The club doesn't want any trouble. We're gonna collect the CCTV tapes today and Carling is going to check them out. Maybe someone had been observing them already at the club."

"Is that it?" Caputo's face was becoming more and more red by the minute.

"Bennet and Big Boo have been questioning the victims' friends but, again, nothing interesting to report about that, yet."

"I expect you to do more, Vause. Figure something out before the press eats us alive. Do you understand?" He pointed his finger at Alex. She was the head investigator here so if the case went down the drain it would be on her. Alex swallowed hard and Stella just looked at her with worry in her eyes.

"Yes, sir. I do understand."

"Get the fuck out from here. All of you. Hit the streets and don't you come back until you've got something for me."

Alex and Stella left Caputo's office together. The shorter woman patted Alex's back.

"Don't worry. We're gonna get him."

"OF course we are. Getting him before he hurts another person is going to be close to impossible, thought, and you know it as well as me."

"Maybe we've missed something." They head Healy's voice from behind and the women turned around to face their older colleague. "I'll go and check all the photos from all of the crime scenes. Maybe something new is going to catch my eye." He smiled sadly and walked off to his own office. It seemed that even the famous CSI expert was at a loss this time.

Alex started strolling towards the building's exit.

"Where are we going?"

"I'm not gonna just sit here all the damn day long and wait for another girl to get killed so we can collect more evidence." Alex appeared calm and collected but Stella knew better.

"I'm going with you. Let's go to the club and then we can talk to some of my quittances. A lot of them frequent The Glam. Maybe they've noticed something suspicious."

"OK, and I'm going to talk to my contacts as well."

Stella looked at Alex with worry in her eyes.

"Do you mean Trish?"

Patricia "Trish" Miller was Alex's good friend. She had arrested the 19-year-old girl several times for drug possession and finally she managed to persuade her to enter rehab. Ever since, Alex was her mentor and it was clear that the young girl looked up to the detective. Thanks to the brunette, she was finally clean and even though her life still wasn't perfect or even easy, she managed to put it all back together, step by step. Alex had never ever asked Trish for anything because she knew that the girl was still fragile. Besides, the detective wanted her to stay away from her old friends and the old trouble. Yet, Trish knew a hell of a lot of people, especially from the city's gay scene since she used to deal weed and other drugs to most of them.

"Yeah, I think we might need her help this time." Alex finally admitted reluctantly.

"You're right. I'm sure people are going to be more willing to talk to her than us."

They jumped into Alex's car and sped off to The Glam.

– – –

"Trish, this is no joke, OK? Be super careful and call me any time, day or night." Alex kept explaining to the young girl the whole case. She was extremely worried but felt that she had no other choice anymore.

"Peace out, ya'll." Yet, Tricia seemed unfazed. "It's gonna be cool, ya know. I'll just ask here and there. Calm your pants, Stretch." She looked at Stella. "Tell your pussy friend there's no need to panic." She grinned at the shorter brunette.

Alex gently pushed her against the wall. "I'm serious, Patricia."

"OK… OK… Chill. Me too. I'll call you as soon as I find something out."

Alex relaxed a bit. "Will you be at the meeting tomorrow?" The detective wanted to make sure that the younger girl stayed on the track to sobriety.

"Of course! And we'll grab lunch after that as usual, right?"

Alex smiled. "Sure, Bring the chess. I feel like beating your ass." She grinned and Trish answered her with a grin on her own. It had been their little tradition for almost a year now. Every Saturday they went together to the AA meeting and then played a game of chess while getting some unhealthy junk food in some local bar.

"All right, ladies. You'll discuss your boring game techniques tomorrow. We need to see Healy now. He wanted to talk to us." Stella informed.

Alex reluctantly left with Stella but promised herself that she would check on Trish even more often now that she was going back to her old friends, even if only for a while.

– – –

As it turned out, Healy found nothing special. There was a footprint on one of the pictures that hadn't been tested before but, of course, it was long gone when Alex and Stella got back to Fig's house. The whole trip to that place turned out to be a total disaster. Not only did they not retrieve the evidence, they also managed to show their incompetence to Fig (they should've collected the print cast the first time their team was at the scene). This in turn infuriated Caputo to no end. Alex was also extremely frustrated because that print could've been their only evidence so far. Now it was gone and no one could do anything about it.

It was nearing 6 pm and even though it wasn't that late Alex felt exhausted. She had completely forgot about her lunch and thus forgot also to call Piper. The day passed before Alex registered what time it truly was. She checked her phone but there were no missed calls and zero texts. Te brunette dialed Piper's number but she didn't pick up and Alex's frustration grew.

"C'mon. Let's get out of here. There's not much we can do anyway." Stella held Alex's leather jacket to her. "Sam has booked us a table. We're going to grab a drink."

"Who's coming?"

"Well, me, YOU." She pointed at Alex. "Healy, Big Boo, Diaz, Soso." Here she sniggered at their colleague's name. "If Diaz's coming, I'm sure Bennet is going to show up as well." And this time she wiggled her eye-brows. "Aaaaand speaking of couples… Can you invite Piper?"

Alex only frowned. "She's not picking up her phone."

"So text her. She's busy but I'm sure she'd like to join us later. C'mon… I'm curious about her." Stella looked like a Shrek's cat, looking up at Alex and the brunette relaxed a bit and laughed.

"OK, I'll text her."

[Alex to Piper] 6:17 pm

 _Hey, beautiful! Would you like to join me tonight at the Jeff's bar? It's Friday, let's get some fun. I already know you like to celebrate your weekends. ;-)_

There was no answer for a while so Alex decided to leave with Stella. Healy was supposed to join them a little later. When they were already at the bar, Alex's phone beeped.

[Piper to Alex] 7:14 pm

 _Al, are you sure you don't want to just relax and spend the evening with Stella? I bet she was looking to 'your' Friday._

"The fuck?" Alex whispered.

"What's going on?" Stella looked with concern at Alex.

"She's acting a little weird." Alex was confused.

"Gimme that!" Stella snapped the phone from Alex's hands. The shorter woman had already had a shot or two so she was more relaxed than usually. She started to type, preventing Alex from grabbing the cell back.

[Ales to Piper] 7:16 pm

 _Fuck Stella. I want you here._

Stella pushed the send button before Alex could stop her.

"Stella, what the fuck?!" Alex was pissed.

"Oh, c'mon. I didn't lie in that text. Chill your pants."

Before Alex had the chance to shout at her friend, her phone beeped again and Stella grinned while opening the text.

[Piper to Alex] 7:20 pm

 _What's the address?_

"Ha! I knew it!" Stella was proud of herself. She was sure she had figured out what was bothering Piper.

"What?"

"Oh nothing, darling. You'll see." The glint in the shorter girl's eyes proved to Alex that, indeed, she was in some mischief mood.

"What?!" Alex demanded yet again.

"Really, you should thank me. She'll be here shortly and all of us are going to have some fun." Stella grinned like a Cheshire cat.


	9. Chapter 9

**I am so very sorry for not updating for such a long time but I was super busy travelling. Thank you for all the comments. I promise to keep the updates coming more often now. :) I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

– 9 –

It took Piper almost an hour to get to the bar that Alex and her crew were having fun at and by the time the blonde arrived there, the dark-haired woman had had a few more tequila shots and was apparently enjoying her colleagues' company. When Piper's eyes first landed on her, Alex was laughing at something with a chubby middle-aged guy who also seemed to be totally relaxed and slightly intoxicated. There were more people by their table, some of them still had their police badges hanging on their jackets, and Piper felt a little unsure if she should enter that little crowd. Maybe Alex had just wanted to be nice and that's why she had invited Piper over… Right as the blonde was about to turn on her heels and leave, with a plan to text Alex later on with some sort of an excuse, Alex noticed her standing by the door and a huge bright smile enlightened the brunette's features. She got up and walked up to the younger woman. She hugged her tight and Piper could smell the familiar scent of marzipan, which made her melt inside a little. She was getting more and more infatuated with the detective and it kinda scared the shit out of her. The beautiful tall woman was all that the blonde was able to think about recently, in fact.

"It's good to see you, Pipes." Alex kissed her lightly right under her ear and it made Piper shiver a bit.

"I did promise to be here so…" She smiled up at her. "But it seems that you already have a nice group over there. Are you sure you don't want to spend some time just with them?" Piper's eyes shone with uncertainty. Alex had noticed a while ago that even though Piper pulled off an image of a confident young woman, there were moments when the blonde was simply unsure of herself, her confidence melting away at a rapid speed, and it confused Alex a little bit. How could such a smart and beautiful girl feel so fragile all of a sudden?

"No, babe. I need to let loose a bit. I want to have fun with my friends, you included. It's that simple." Alex grinned and grabbed Piper's hand, leading her to the table full of people. The blonde didn't even register they were heading that way because she was too busy overanalyzing Alex's words. They were just friends after all? Well… Probably that's how the detective perceived the whole situation and it made Piper's heart drop. She had to break from her stream of thoughts when she heard Alex introducing her to the whole crowd and several people waved at her, all full of slightly drunken grins.

"Hey, I remember you!" A guy whom everyone called Bennet said. "I took you in a few weeks ago." He laughed. "So, Alex, you're still mingling with the felons?"

Piper's jaw dropped almost to the floor. She didn't know how to react to that but also she was surprised that she wasn't the only 'almost arrested' girl that Alex was spending time with and it made Piper's heart sink some more (if that was even possible at that point). Yet, she managed to keep a straight face and smiled at Bennet.

"I'm no felon. One time little slip of good reasoning." She winked at him and the young cop laughed.

"Sure, sure…" He winked back. He was actually a nice guy and Piper got to like him as the time passed by. Just as she was slowly relaxing into the small group, Alex's arm continually draped over her shoulders in a protective manner, they all heard another laugh coming from behind them.

"Hey, drunk-heads! Look what I've brought you!" A strong Australian accent spoke in a joking voice. Alex spun around and got up to hug a short petite woman with short dark hair and arms full of tattoos. The Aussie just managed to put a tray full of tequila shots on the table before she was engulfed in Alex's bear hug.

"I thought you weren't coming back, you asshole!" The tall brunette laughed at her friend.

"Well, what can I say… I missed the only bigger asshole than myself, Alex, so I came back to you guys here." She grinned. Stella had been out for a minute with some girl that she was hoping to hook up with but apparently nothing good came out of it.

Suddenly, Alex realized that she hadn't introduced Piper to Stella yet so she turned back around to the blonde and made her get up from her seat as well.

"Stella, this is Piper and Pipes, this is Stella, my partner."

Piper's eyes went wide and she thanked all the gods out there that she hadn't actually kissed Alex in front of everyone because she would have been so fucked right now. She felt miserable, heart-broken and pissed at herself at the same time. Now it was clear to her why Alex had introduced her just as a friend to everyone. She was just a friend after all, a friend with benefits but that's it.

Despite her shaken state, Piper didn't lose a beat and shook Stella's soft hand.

"Nice to meet you, Stella." She tried to stand away from Alex and even to herself her own words sounded super official. She wanted to kick herself for that. The blonde really didn't want to sound like some fucking robot but she couldn't help herself. And it seemed that Alex also noticed the slight change since her sexy eye brow shot up a bit at Piper. Yet, the brunette decided to let it go for the time being.

On the other hand, Stella was internally having fun. She immediately realized what the confusion was and the fact that Alex seemed totally oblivious to the issue made her grin like some madman. She had suspected what Pieper might be thinking about her and Alex and the blonde's reaction from just a second ago only made her 100% sure. The fact that Alex introduced her the way she did forced Stella to bite her tongue really hard not to laugh out loud and she high-fived herself in her mind. Poor Alex – she had no idea. Even though the detective was normally a very perceptive person, she appeared to be completely clueless at reading some people's feelings. Maybe it was due to the fact that she had never really been in a real relationship and she had never truly needed to read her lover's mind. She didn't care about that and even though she did care this time, Alex was simply blind at times.

Of course, Stella couldn't miss such a great occasion to pull Alex's leg a bit but she also wanted to make Alex see that talking about herself to Piper would be nice... Lack of communication can cause harm and she knew that the older woman could be a bit awkward when it came to people that she actually cared about.

"You too, Chapman. It's good to finally meet you. Alex has talked a lot about you." Stella grinned.

"She did?" Piper was surprised.

"I did?" Alex seemed even more so but that little fact didn't stop Stella from continuing.

"Sure. I bet she also told you a lot about me."

Piper laughed nervously. "Well, actually she didn't say much."

Stella turned to Alex with a little punch to her arm. "How come you never told her about me, you asshole?" She turned back to the blonde. "I'm sorry Piper, she must have a dementia already." The shorter woman smiled mischievously. "Where Alex goes, I go. She gets my back, I get hers." Stella threw her arm around Alex and the taller brunette only laughed thinking that her partner was more drunk than she had expected.

Still completely oblivious to Piper's state of mind and Stella's evil plan, Alex also threw her arm around the shorter girl and nodded at what Stella had said smiling like a fool. By that time Piper's discomfort was starting to show and even the detective seemed to be worried a bit. She thought that maybe her lover felt a little bit overwhelmed by all of Alex's colleagues so she grabbed her hand and asked her to dance in hopes of giving Piper some space. Maybe the blonde would be able to relax a little if she escaped their little crowd for a moment.

Yet, Piper herself only appeared to be even more confused than before until her eyes went wide in some realization.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I'm not into that..." She said shakily and this time it was Alex's turn to get completely lost at the situation.

"Umm... OK, we don't have to dance if you don't want to... Let's just grab another drink, then."

"No, Alex, you don't understand. I'm not into THAT." The blonde stressed while pointing at the three of them which only left Alex further bewildered. And at exactly that point Stella couldn't take it anymore and she burst out laughing so hard that she had to wipe some tears from her eyes.

"What?" Both Alex and Piper asked in surprise at their companion's behavior.

"You two are unbelievable!" Stella continued to chuckle.

"Because?" Alex started to get a little pissed and it was clear in her tone so Stella did all in her might to stop the laughter bubbling out of her lips. She knew that when Alex got really mad, she could punch pretty well.

"Because: a) you obviously should be more open with Piper and b) Piper here obviously thinks that I'm your partner and now she also probably believes that you're more adventurous than she suspected."

"But you are my partner." Alex talked still confused and Stella just wiggled her eyebrows at her. Only then did Alex finally get the message and she immediately turn back to Piper. "Partner as in policing together, cop partner, work colleague, Pipes... Oh my God... Did you just think I was into open relationships or threesomes?!" She couldn't help burst out laughing.

Piper was just standing there, mouth agape and her cheeks slightly turning a nice shade of red.

"No... I was just... Sweet Jesus..." She was stumbling for words and felt like a total idiot while Alex and Stella were both trying to stop chucking.

"Hey there, chill out." Stella finally smiled at her, her eyes still full of merit. "It's not your fault. I bet our dear friend Alex didn't tell you about me at all, 'cause she's an asshole. And, I must admit, I didn't help either. I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself." She was obviously trying not to laugh once again and it made Piper relax a bit. She did start to see the hilarity of the situation and started giggling lightly at herself as well.

"You are an asshole, too, you know." She smiled at Stella. "You should've corrected me when you noticed I got confused here."

"Yeah, you're a fucking asshole!" Alex punched Stella's arm a little stronger than a joking poke would be.

"And your best buddy, so you must forgive me." Stella said while stroking her sore muscle. She was pretty sure there's gonna be a slight bruise the next morning.

Alex grabbed Piper's hand and started leading her to the dance floor slowly. "Come, let's dance and leave this little jerk here. We'll catch up with her later."

"Sure, leave ma all alone and lonely. One of you should at least give me a hug. We're in it together, right?!" Stella shouted over the music but all it earned her was Alex's middle finger and Piper's 'asshole' shouted at her with a laugh.

"Feisty! I like her, Alex!" She shouted back but the girls were already too far to hear her.

– – –

There was some nice mellow song playing at the dance floor. Alex held Piper close while they continued to sway to the music slowly. She buried her face into the blonde locks and smiled at the familiar scent of Piper's shampoo. When she reminded herself the conversation she had just had, she couldn't help another chuckle leaving her throat and this in turn made Piper look at her with square eyes.

"Oh please, will you stop already?" She whispered still slightly embarrassed.

"I'm sorry. I'm trying." Alex grinned at her. "But you know... Stella was right about one thing there. I should have told you about her."

"Yes, you should have." Piper agreed. Her head was nestled back into the crook of Alex's neck. She smiled brightly at the thought that now she was sure that the detective was single. This funny situation did clear a lot of her doubts and she could finally fully enjoy Alex's closeness without second guessing. Piper tightened her hold on Alex and her smile only grew, threatening to split her face in halves.

"What are you smiling about?" Alex surprised her with a question and for a second she didn't know how to respond but after a while she decided on honesty.

"About you being single."

"I've never said I was single." Alex's serious tone made Piper look up at her one more time.

"Oh." Piper's smile dropped but Alex couldn't hold her poker face for long and soon started giggling. "I don't consider myself single anymore." She said still smiling, yet it was obvious that she meant what she had said. Actually, Alex couldn't believe she had said that out loud but truth to be told, she really couldn't imagine herself with anyone else except Piper. Every time she was with the blonde, she felt as if she was on a cloud number nine, every time she could smell her perfume, even in some public place where Piper was not with her, Alex felt her heart flutter violently. Despite her constant tiredness, Piper was the very first thing on her mind after finishing her shift. Alex had never felt this way about anyone and even she herself realized a while ago that not giving this relationship a chance would be a profound mistake. She had enough of her own mistakes and maybe it was the buzz she had in her system or maybe it was Piper's baby-blue eyes that melted her heart each time the blonde would look at her this way but Alex really meant what she had said, indeed.

"Do you want me to scribble a question on a slip of paper and make you circle yes or no?" Alex asked when she had no response from Piper and the blonde's face was suddenly enlightened by a 100 voltage smile which made Alex stomach somersault. The joyful feeling only deepened when Piper kissed her soundly on the lips.

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes, you idiot." Piper grinned.

"Well, I'm your idiot now, I guess, so you have to deal with me."

"With pleasure." Piper whispered right before kissing Alex's lips again.

– – –

An hour later both women were seated back at their table and were enjoying their time with Alex's friends but Piper kept checking her phone more and more often. She seemed to be texting someone constantly.

"What's up, kid? Got yourself another stalker?" Alex joked.

"Ha ha... No, it's just Nicky. She's trying to drag me away from you and go to a party with her and Lorna. She claims she's been feeling abandoned by me recently." Piper laughed under her breath.

"Why don't you tell them to join us? That way you guys get to spend some time together and I can make sure none of you end up in jail again after partying." Alex laughed and it earned her a light punch from Piper.

"Who's joining us?" Stella popped out again out of nowhere and managed startle Piper.

"Jesus, you really need to stop doing that." She laughed. All through the evening Stella kept playing pranks on everyone. She seemed to be in a really good mood and as the time had passed by, Piper found herself enjoying the woman's company more and more. She and Alex truly had a special bond and it was clear to see even for a blind man, plus Stella really made an effort to get to know Piper a little better. She was a keen listener and an intelligent woman whose sense of humor could turn even the most depressing person into a fit of laughter. Yes, Piper was pretty sure that she and Stella were going to be OK, despite their not so good beginning.

"Alex wants me to invite two of my friends here."

"Splendid! Who?"

"Nicky Nichols and Lorna Morello, I don't think you know them..." Piper said while texting.

"And here is where you're wrong. I do know one of them." Stella grinned. "I've read Nicky's records. She must be fun."

Piper rolled her eyes. "Does everyone here know her? Damn..."

"Nah, not really. Just me, Alex, Bennet and probably Big Boo." Stella giggled.

"Somebody needed me here?" Bennet came back to their table with yet another tray of shots.

"I was just saying that you know Nichols."

"Yeah, I've met her. Funny one. Why?"

"She's gonna be here soon."

"Oh, cool. Another felon at our cop table. High five, Alex!" But Alex ignored the obviously drunk friend. She only laughed at his stupid joke. Everybody at the station knew that Alex had a tendency to have a soft heart for broken teenagers and that's why she often helped them out instead of locking them up.

"What does Bennet mean? He keeps saying that you keep in touch with some criminals..." Piper asked Alex quietly. She needed to know what it was all about.

Alex didn't like to talk about it but after the Stella situation she decided that she should let Piper know about her little extra activities that might take her time in the future. Maybe it was for the better to clear the air immediately, before Piper came up with her own interpretations, and God have mercy, this girl had a vivid imagination, obviously…

"Well, long story short... Sometimes I help teenagers from difficult environments deal with their problems. Most of them don't need a prosecutor, they just need a little push into the right direction. For some of them it is just a friend who would listen, for others I find rehab or a safe roof over their heads at some foundations... Depends." Alex whispered back while sipping on her fresh cold beer. "And Bennet here is just drunk. Don't mind him." She smiled.

Piper's heart swelled at what she had just heard. She had known already that even though Alex tried to keep an image of a hard core cop, deep down inside she was a softie. What she had heard just a second ago made her admire Alex even more and she realized that she knew close to nothing about her. It only made her want to learn about the detective as much as Alex was willing to let her. She was not only well-read, intelligent and confident (features which made Piper's knees weak) but she also had a good heart and empathy for others. Was there anything that Piper wouldn't just adore about the brunette?

Piper hugged Alex. "That's so kind of you. I'm sure these people are thankful for your help."

"Well, some of them don't realize they actually need help, so I doubt that they're thankful, but at least some of them manage to start their lives over and it makes me happy so…"

"Still, not many people, especially police officers, care about some young junk-heads." Piper smiled while squeezing Alex's hand lightly. "You make a difference for them."

"Don't make me look like some super hero, Pipes." Alex kissed the blonde's temple.

"Thank you for telling me."

Alex brushed the pad of her thumb over Piper's jaw and lightly kissed her on the corner of her mouth, eliciting a beam from the blonde. This kind of smile always made Alex question herself a bit. The feelings that were growing inside of her scared the brunette but at the same time she wanted more. More of those heart-melting smiles, more of those sparkling deep-sea blue eyes, more of Piper's light kisses and more of her delightful touches. Every day, every hour and every minute she craved this young woman more. And for the first time in her life she was truly ready to take the plunge. It had never been easy for Alex to open up but she decided right now and right here that she would tell her girlfriend whatever she would ask about. She would give her whatever she needed.

The term 'girlfriend' made Alex smile like a wicked-man.

"OK… Now you scare me." Piper laughed. "You look like Jack Nicholson in The Shining…"

This silly comment only made Alex's grin grow and Piper laughed some more before kissing Alex on those smiling lips.

"I think I'm crazy." Alex couldn't stop her lips from stretching. She couldn't remember the last time she was so happy and felt so carefree.

"Oh yeah? You better stop grinning like that or it's gonna be you this time who's gonna end up in some restraints but I'm afraid it's not gonna be a jail cell but rather some mental institution." Piper teased.

"I'm crazy about you." Alex simply said still merit playing on her features and this caught Piper off guard. No one had ever told her anything like this. No one had ever professed their feelings for her, not even her own parents, and Piper had to fight hard not to close up on the brunette. She knew it was silly, but something like this made her happy and a bit uncomfortable a bit at the same time. She wasn't sure she believed Alex.

And the brunette seemed to read Piper well this time and felt slightly silly herself. She didn't know what made her say those words but she wasn't sorry for them. They were true and even if the blonde didn't believe her now, Alex decided that she was determined to change that.

"Can we make one rule just between me and you, Pipes?" She asked quietly.

"Depends. What rule?" Piper smiled.

"That honesty would be our best policy." And yet again Piper was caught off guard. Honesty was not welcomed in her family. Her people were full of appearances and fake smiles. Honesty scared Piper.

"OK." Was the only little phrase that she managed before Alex kissed her lips tenderly. "OK." She repeated, this time with more confidence. She was willing to do anything in her might to make this work. Alex was worth it.

Before Piper could say anything more, they saw Nicky approaching them. She was alone and Lorna was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did your girl, Nichols?" Piper laughed while hugging her friend.

"She's not my girl, you asshole. I've told you before. And Lorna decided that she's actually tired and wanted to stay home so I'm all yours." Nicky grinned. "Where's the booze?" She looked around and made Alex laugh.

"It's right here. Just don't overdo it. We're planning on playing pool later and I bet you'll need all your senses in check 'cause me and Piper are going to kick your ass." The detective poked her finger and Nicky's chest. "Oh, and since Lorna is not here, you'll need a new partner."

"Somebody's looking for a partner? I'm good at partnering, right Chapman?" Stella shouted at them from behind their table.

"What is she talking about?" Nicky chuckled at Piepr.

"Nevermind." Piper said glaring at Alex to stop her from telling Nicky about her little fuck-up. "I'm gonna be with Alex and you'll play with Stella over there." She pointed at the short brunette who was slowly struggling to get to them from the table.

"She's drunk." Nicky blatantly stated.

"So are you, even though you just got here. How did that happen, hmm?" Alex laughed.

"Do I need a lawyer?" Nicky barked back making Alex snigger some more.

"Nah… Not tonight, at least." She winked. "OK, c'mon lazy asses. Let's play some pool." Alex called at the girls.

– – –

It was slowly getting late and after two games both Piper and Alex got tired of the competition and were now standing by and just observing Nicky and Stella. Both women were zealous and wanted to win the final clash. They were all laughing at their banter. It was pretty clear that all of them turned out to be really enjoying the evening.

Piper was standing with her back leaning into Alex who had her arms around the blonde's waist. From time to time she would let her thumbs caress Piper's hip bones hidden by her shirt. Her lips would steal soft kisses here and there once in a while, most of them landing somewhere on Piper's neck. All this affectionate behavior was slowly making the younger woman more and more excited, yet she was trying to hide her longing to finally get Alex all alone. She didn't want to leave her friends alone at the bar since most of their colleagues had already left. There were only the four of them and Healy, who also seemed to be engulfed in the game, advising both Stella and Nicky, depending whose turn it was o hit the ball (pissing of both of the girls on the way, since he was more than tipsy).

After another excruciating hour of Alex's "innocent" administrations, Piper was hardly able to keep her hands from the brunette and was quietly praying that the would finally get going. She was lazily observing yet another game between Stella and Nicky. Both women were on the verge of killing Healy who was obviously annoying the shit of them. The poor guy had really had enough.

Right as Piper was giggling at yet another quarrel between the three, she felt Alex's hot breath right next to her ear.

"I'm skipping the apocalypse. Wanna _come_?" And the way Alex whispered the last word turned Piper's knees into jelly.

"Take me home." Was all that she managed to muster before being led by Alex to the door. Nobody even noticed them leaving.


	10. Chapter 10

– 10 –

Piper couldn't remember how they finally had gotten into the cab. Alex was the core of her whole universe and everything else was just background. The only thing she could feel was Alex's touch all over her. Her hands on her bare abdomen, her lips on her neck leaving wet kisses and delicate bites. All she could hear were Alex's soft whispers. Piper loved how Alex pronounced her name over and over again. The countless "Pipes" before they had even reached the detective's apartment building. The thought that Alex was hers and hers only added greatly to the exhilarating rush of emotions tormenting Piper's body. She was shivering all over – that's how much she craved the brunette.

The younger woman quietly admired the fact that Alex was able to keep her composure intact (kind of...) despite their heavy make out session through the whole way to the brunette's apartment. It was only when they finally had approached Alex's door, Piper noticed that the taller beauty's hands were visibly shaking while she attempted to find the lock with her key. The blonde put her hand gently on Alex's while she continued to leave a trail of kisses up the detective's neck.

"I got this." She whispered into her ear and opened the door herself.

They shut the door behind them with a loud thump, evoking giggles from the both of them. Alex caught Piper's lower lip with her teeth and the blonde dove right back into Alex. Her hands traveled down the brunette's torso, finally settling themselves on her ass and Piper couldn't help herself and gripped Alex a little bit stronger. Those curves were making her go insane. She felt as if she was on fire and Alex's palms kneading her breasts weren't really helping.

Piper started to unbutton Alex's shirt but got stuck on the second button. After fumbling with it for a moment or two, she couldn't take it anymore and she simply tore the buttons down, sending them flying all over the place and Alex laughed out loud.

"Someone's pretty impatient here." She murmured still chuckling.

"Yes." Was all that Piper could utter before ravishing Alex's lips yet again. She helped the brunette get rid of what was left of her shirt. The moment Alex's hands were free again, she pulled Piper's blouse over her head and immediately freed the blonde of her bra. Before Piper had the chance to do the same with Alex's piece of underwear, the detective lifted her with her strong arms, making Piper circle her legs around the brunette's waist.

While she continued to kiss the blonde, Alex made their way to her bed which was standing in the corner of her small apartment. She lied Piper down, covering her with her own body. She didn't even notice that the younger woman had managed to get her out of her bra as well somewhere on their way to the bed and now they were lying down with their breasts pressed together, kissing feverishly.

Alex pushed Piper's trousers down slowly, helping her get out of them altogether before she undressed her own jeans and came back with the speed of light to the woman in her bed. She kissed Piper's chest all over before sucking one of her nipples into her warm mouth. At the same time she slid one of her hands into Piper's panties, grazing gently the soft path of hair she found there, making the blonde buckle into her hand a bit. When she tentatively moved her middle finger lower, she was met with a radiant heat and abundant slick moisture. This made her own arousal sky rocket suddenly.

"Dear God, Pipes..." She moaned into the blonde's mouth.

Piper squeezed Alex's butt cheek with one hand while she kneaded one of her breasts, twisting lightly Alex's nipple between her index finger and thumb. She sucked Alex's earlobe, gently biting it with her teeth.

"You feel so good, Al."

At this the detective kissed Piper passionately. She felt as if her life depended on it. Piper was her fountain of life. It was almost overwhelming. She had never been so heavenly aroused. She wished she could just melt into the blonde and become one. She had never felt anything like that before. Alex slid two of her fingers into the blonde's core and the way her muscles tried to grip her there, made Alex almost lose it. She continued to kiss Piper as if she was her lifeline while she started to pump into her. At first she was super gentle but gained in speed and force as the time passed. Piper spread her legs as much as her pantie allowed her in this position and Alex automatically straddled one of her thighs. She couldn't help seeking some kind of friction on her own and Piper seemed to notice the jerking movement of Alex's hips. She slowly slid her hand down Alex's panties and found her pulsing clit.

"Oh, fuck..." Alex moaned at the same time as Piper. She felt that she was reaching her peak embarrassingly fast but she couldn't help it so instead limiting herself she doubled her efforts in bringing Piper over the edge. She curled her fingers and before she knew it, she heard Piper moaning her name over and over again.

"Alex... Yesss..." Were the only sounds leaving Piper's lips. Even though the blonde was trying to withhold her impending orgasm a bit, she was unable to do so for long and when she felt Alex press her thumb delicately, yet purposefully, on her clit, she lost it.

"Al..." Was all that she managed to whisper breathlessly into the brunette's neck before falling over the edge into oblivion. Piper's fluttering muscles only pushed Alex higher and a few more trusts of her hips sent her also flying over the edge together with her girlfriend. Her orgasm was intense but short and it was over even before Piper's shaking body fully calmed down. Alex continued to kiss the blonde's lips leisurely. She gently withdrew her soaked fingers from Piper, swallowing her whimpers with her own lips. After a while she could feel Piper smiling into the kiss.

"Happy?" Alex murmured between the pecks that she kept leaving down the blonde's neck.

"Will be in a moment." This got Alex confused but before she could ask what the blonde meant, Piper flipped them over and now was straddling the brunette with a mischievous grin on her pretty face.

"What the...?"

"Shhh..." Piper put her forefinger on Alex's lips, silencing her. "Let me have my fun." She whispered just before she rolled her tongue around one of Alex's nipples and the brunette's voice caught in her throat. Piper continued her ministrations there for a while until she got Alex squirming under her once again.

"I love the way you smell." The blonde said as she continued her slow way down Alex's muscled abdomen. "My sweet Alex." She murmured before dipping her tongue lightly into Alex's navel.

"Oh, God... Pipes."

Piper grinned into Alex's belly. She marveled at the fact that she had Alex in such a state under her. Somehow, the fact that Alex had officially pronounced them a couple made Piper's confidence boost. With no worry creeping at the back of her head, all the blonde wanted to focus on was sending Alex flying as high as the brunette had made her just mere minutes before.

She slid Alex's damp panties down her long legs and the view that awaited her made Piper's mouth water.

"You." Kiss under the knee.

"Are." Kiss on the inner thigh.

"So." Kiss between the thigh and pussy.

"Beautiful." And at that Piper sucked Alex's clit gently into her mouth. The brunette's hands flew to Piper's hair while a string of profanities slipped her lips.

Piper continued to play with Alex's most sensitive part relentlessly and when she felt the detective's hips start to buckle more strongly, she pushed two of her fingers deep into her core. The sound of Alex's moans and breathless whispers encouraged her to go on. She pumped into her lover until she felt her body stiffen under her and for a wonderful while she could feel Alex's muscles flutter violently around her fingers. The hands buried deep into the blond locks tightened their grip, making Piper moan, which in turn sent extra vibrations down Alex's core. It took quite a while before Piper felt Alex's muscles relax. When she was sure her lover was completely spent, she slowly withdrew her fingers, placing the final kiss on Alex's still slightly twitching clit.

She made her slow way up Alex's torso, kissing her naval and breasts on the way. Alex was unable to say anything. She just kissed Piper's lips leisurely and it took the both of them a while before they calmed down from their shared high.

Piper looked at Alex's green eyes. She couldn't remember ever seeing them so bright and sparkling. Alex kissed her lips one more time before breaking in a huge grin.

"What?" Piper chuckled.

"Nothing." Alex said before kissing her again. After a few more kisses and whispers, they were lying peacefully, listening to each other's breathing.

"Can I ask you something?" Piper whispered.

"Sure." Alex was grazing her fingers lightly on Piper's bare back.

"Just don't laugh." And just this statement made Alex giggle.

"OK." She said after she calmed down a bit after receiving a slight hit into her ribs from Piper.

"How old are you?" Aaaan THIS question had Alex laughing out loud.

"You promised not to laugh, you asshole." Piper whined like a little girl.

"You're seriously asking that right now?" Alex chuckled.

"Honesty is our best policy. Didn't you say so?" Piper looked up at Alex. "Besides, it doesn't really matter. I'm just curious, that's all. And you do know my age, so it would be only fair if I knew yours as well." Piper's rambling was getting faster by the second.

"34."

"C'mon, Al. I asked for real." Piper's eye brows were furrowed when she sat up to face her girlfriend but when she saw her face expression, it dawned on her that the detective wasn't trying to pull her leg. She had known that Alex was a bit older than her but the brunette's answer did surprise her.

"I'm 22."

"I know." Alex chuckled again.

"Don't you think I'm just some kid?"

"Well... That would make me a some sort of pedophile right now,wouldn't it?" And it was Piper's turn to laugh out loud. She snuggled closer to the brunette, burying her nose into the crook of Alex's neck.

"You really don't mind this?" She asked, still unsure of herself.

"No, I don't." Alex looked down at her. "Do you?" She asked looking straight into Piper's eyes.

"No." The blonde grinned.

"You can ask me anything and yet you ask me about my age... It does sound as if it was actually bothering you." Alex sounded more serious this time.

"It isn't. Really." She looked up at Alex again and she could see that the brunette wasn't buying her simple answer. "I just thought for a second that you might be treating me as some kid toy, you know... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." Piper made herself shut up before she would complicate things any further. She was mad at herself for even starting this stupid, useless conversation. The lack of confidence was suddenly oozing out of her and Alex saw that immediately. She made the blond sit up properly and she put both of her hands on Piper's cheeks, caressing her lightly while she started to speak slowly and patiently.

"Did anything that I said earlier today make you think like I intend on treating you just as some plaything?" Alex's eyes shone with pure concern and worry and it made Piper feel guilty. She didn't want to make Alex feel this way.

"Well... No." She whispered.

Alex kissed her gently on the lips. "You, Piper Elizabeth Chapman, are my partner now." Piper smiled a bit. "And I do not mean the police here, obviously. Just saying to make it painfully clear." She laughed after Piper's little 'hey'.

Alex made Piper snuggle even closer to her and she kissed the blonde's temple while she lied her head on her shoulder.

"Don't overthink things, Pipes."

"I don't do that." Piper sounded a bit annoyed.

"Yes, you do."

"But..."

"Shh..." Alex put her finger on Piper's lips, silencing her. "Yes, you do, so please, stop. OK?"

Piper lifted her head to look at Alex properly and all she could see in the brunette's eyes were affection and sincerity.

"Sometimes I can't help it." The blonde sounded small to Alex and she wished she could take all the uncertainties away. Yet, she somehow knew that this wouldn't be so easy. For some reason, Piper kept being unsure of so sure situations and Alex was determined to find a way to make the younger woman finally relax and let her guard down.

"I know." Alex brushed Piper's cheekbone with the pad of her thumb. "All I'm asking is to have some faith in us, OK?" She kissed Piper's lips gently.

"OK." The blonde's eyes were shining with happiness. She really was fighting with herself to believe Alex's words. She needed to trust her even though it wasn't easy for Piper. She'd learned not to trust anyone a 100% and now there was Alex, pleading with her to let it go. The way the brunette acted seemed so genuine that Piper decided to do everything she could to make this budding relationship work. Alex was the best that had happened to her in her short life.

Piper kissed Alex one more time. She loved her soft, yet sexy, lips. She swore she could live on just on the taste of them.

"I promise I'll try, OK? I'm sorry if I'm awkward sometimes." She whispered sheepishly and Alex looked down at her.

"You're not awkward. Cute? Yes. Awkward? Nope." She smiled warmly at the blonde. She kissed her temple again, inhaling Piper's smell that she was slowly growing familiar with. She hugged the blonde closer to her. Her eyes were getting heavier by the minute. Finally, all the tiredness of the previous days was catching up with her and sounding by Piper's evening delicate breathing, the blonde was also slowly drifting away.

"Let's get some sleep, baby." Piper mumbled into Alex's neck.

"Night, Pipes."

"Night." Piper placed a single kiss to Alex's neck and before she knew it, the heaviness of her eyelids won with her need to feel Alex's presence for a second longer.

– – –

Piper woke up first thing in the morning. When she looked at Alex's alarm clock sitting on the nightstand, it showed that it was nearly 9:30 am but the blonde figured that after the late night both of them could use a little longer moment in the bed sheets. Besides, the position that Piper had awoken in really didn't encourage her to move even an inch.

Alex's body was splayed across hers. The brunette's hand was gently cupping one of Piper's breasts, more in the need of closeness than desire. Alex's head was buried in Piper's neck and the younger woman felt a nice warm feeling crippling up her body. She felt safe, protected, at peace.

Piper waited another half an hour before placing a tentative kiss on Alex's forehead, trying to wake her lover up but obviously Alex was still gone to the world. The brunette must have been really exhausted recently. Yet, Piper had no other choice but to wake Alex up. She did remember clearly Alex telling her sometime during the party that she needed to be at the rehab centre around 12 o'clock. Piper didn't want Alex to oversleep since the whole issue had seemed to be quite important to her girlfriend… Yeah, girlfriend. Somehow this label still felt weird to the blonde. Yet, Alex was hers indeed. The brunette had stressed that enough times the previous night to make Piper truly start to realize that it wasn't just some beautiful dream.

"Baby…" She tried to gently shake Alex awake. "Al… Honey, I think we need to get up." Piper kissed the brunette's forehead one more time and stroked her arm lovingly. Soon, she felt Alex slowly returning to the land of living. The brunette brushed her fingers lightly over Piper's naked breast. It was more an absent-minded movement but it made Piper's voice quiver a bit when she told Alex the time. "It's almost 10, Al."

Alex smiled into the crook of Piper's neck. She hardly ever had found herself in such a position. Alex seeking warmth of the other's body? She actually couldn't place such a occasion in her mind. Yet, this felt so natural to her. Waking up with the blissful warmth of Piper's body all over her seemed to be enough to render the brunette speechless. She adored their small safe-heaven.

"Enough time." She whispered more to herself than to the blonde.

"What?" Piper seemed confused until Alex's palm squeezed Piper's breast lightly, evoking both a small moan from the blonde and a playful chuckle. "Now, now… Al, you probably can't be late today." She tried with Alex gently, even though she felt herself getting aroused from even the slightest of touches coming from Alex.

"Spoil sport." Retorted the detective. She lifter her head up to kiss Piper's jaw and the blonde giggled.

"This meeting seemed quite important yesterday."

"Yeah, I know and it is." Alex finally admitted. "Maybe you're right. We should start getting ready. Do you have any plans for today?" Alex asked as she got up from the warm bed. She was standing there in all her naked glory, self-consciousness was clearly not her problem. She opened her wardrobe to dig for some clothes for the upcoming day. Piper couldn't help the staring and it took her quite a while to register that there had actually been a question directed at her. When Alex didn't receive any answer, she turned around from the wardrobe to look at the blonde quizzically but when she noticed Piper's eyes widen in awe, she couldn't stop a big smirk from making its presence on her lips. "Staring much?"

Piper blushed slightly despite herself but didn't avert her sight. "You're so beautiful." She simply stated and it managed to catch Alex off guard once again. The brunette wasn't sure if she could ever get used to hearing that. Especially when Piper was saying this in such a way that it made her heart swell each damn time.

"You're not half bad, either." She couldn't help a silly joke. She really didn't know how to accept compliments like that. She threw a towel at Piper, making the young girl giggle. "Get your sexy ass out of my bed. We need a shower and a proper breakfast before we leave." She grinned.

– – –

Piper was sitting by the tiny kitchen bar table, observing Alex's confident movements while she was preparing the food for both of them. It was slowly starting to smell deliciously well and the blonde could feel her stomach grumbling lowly. She hadn't realized that she was so hungry until she saw what Alex had in mind for their breakfast. The omelets were almost ready and Piper couldn't wait to dig her teeth in them. It actually surprised her a bit to find out that Alex was so good at cooking. Somehow she had never imagined the brunette to be the housewife type. As it had turned out, the detective loved preparing various dishes. Cooking was her passion, in fact. Piper wondered what else she still has to find out about her now girlfriend.

She looked around Alex's apartment. There was no way to even compare it with Piper's place. It was very small and old but at the same time it had 'Alex' screaming all over it. There were tons of books scattered on almost every flat surface, obviously the vintage-looking bookshelf wasn't enough anymore. Posters from various old movies decorated most of the wall behind the bed. What also surprised Piper about Alex was the fact that the brunette also owned an electric guitar. Piper noticed it standing in the corner, next to the wardrobe. She would still have to ask about it, though. A smile crept onto the blonde's lips. There was so much she still had to discover, indeed.

"What are you smiling about?" Alex's question brought Piper back to the present reality.

"Food." Piper grinned.

"Is served." Alex grinned back and chuckled even a bit when she saw how eager Piper was to stuff her face with the omelet. "Somebody's hungry."

"Well, you did make me burn some calories, babe." Piper winked and continued to munch on her food, enjoying the taste and Alex's easy laughter.

"So… You didn't answer me earlier. What's your plan for today? You can stay here until I'm back but I can also drop you off somewhere if you want."

"I think I should go and visit my grandmother. I've promised her a while ago to have dinner with her sometime soon. You can drop me off at my place, if it's not a problem."

"Not at all. Actually, I might drop by Trish's place and get her. It's on the way from your apartment to the rehab centre."

"Sounds like a plan." Piper smiled and Alex squeezed her hand lightly.

– – –

A few hours later Alex and Tricia were sitting by the table at a local burger bar. The brunette was more than full after eating the biggest burger she had ever seen in her life. If Tricia hadn't helped her with the fries, Alex was sure she would have been with her head down in the toilet right now. She didn't remember who had been the first to come up with that stupid idea of a competition in eating burgers as fast as you can. Now, she felt like puking but she still had a blast with her younger friend. It was also true that she had lost two out of three chess games but it only made Tricia's mood better so Alex didn't really mind. It was good to see her friend laugh like a kid again because she still was truly just a kid.

"You're getting old, Vause." Tricia laughed, finishing yet another victorious part.

"Nah, you're just getting better." Alex smiled genuinely, which made Tricia turn a note more serious as well.

"Yeah, I am. Thanks to you."

"You're learning from an experienced player, pal."

"If you don't move your sexy ass and try harder next time, a student is going to surpass her master." Tricia laughed.

"I sure hope so." Alex really hoped that Tricia would fight with her demons and never, ever come back to drugs. Somehow the young girl meant a lot to her. Maybe because she could see herself in the lost eyes of the blond youngster.

"SO… About that thing that we talked about a while ago? That fucking sick son of a bitch?"

Suddenly, Alex felt nervous. She didn't want Tricia to get into that case. She asked her to ask around a bit but deep in her heart she hoped that the girl wouldn't put too much heart into it. She didn't want to put her in danger of getting in touch with her old friends. She was still pretty fragile and Alex worried that they might turn her back to her old habits. If that ever happened, Alex would never forgive herself.

"What about him?" She tried to stay indifferent but her tight voice made it clear that she was nervous about the whole thing.

"Well… Nothing much, yet. But tomorrow I might see one of my good old buddies. He's an often guest of various gay clubs around. I'll ask him. If anyone had a chance to notice something funny, that would be him."

"Listen. Please, be careful. You don't have to play detective, ok?"

"What if I want to be one someday?" This surprised Alex and Tricia could see it clearly in the brunette's eyes. "What? You don't think I could be a cop?" She sounded hurt a bit even though she was trying not to show it.

"I didn't say that." Alex stared blankly at her friend. "I just haven't realized that you might be interested in this type of job."

"Well… I might be."

Alex smile could light up a whole street, that's how energetic it was and it made Tricia laugh nervously.

"You OK with that?" She asked tentatively.

"Fuck sure I am!" Alex stood up to hug her tiny friend. "But first. Let's get you completely clean, OK?" She pinched the girls cheeks. "And let's make sure you gain some weight, alright? We don't want some bad guys to crush you with a single fist." She chuckled. "Want another burger?"

"I think I'm gonna vomit…"

Alex laughed out loud. She was really happy about Tricia talking about her future. The girl had never done that before. She had believed that nothing good was going to happen to her so she hadn't bothered to plan her future. Now, it seemed that the blonde was ready to take another step in her way to a better life. She started to plan ahead. This made Alex happy beyond any measure. She knew that it was a good sign and she was super proud of the young girl.

This weekend really couldn't be any better. She had her Piper. She had her Tricia on a good track. After a really long time, she felt as if she had her own life on a good track as well.


	11. Chapter 11

– 11 –

 _ **2 weeks later**_

Piper was sitting by the dining room table at her parent's house. It was another typical Sunday meal and all of the Chapman children were expected to be there, as usual. And as usual, her older brother was absent, living his perfect life in some other big city, working in some perfect hospital or meeting his perfect girlfriend or just simply being perfect in general. The way their mother spoke of him left an impression that whatever Danny touched turned gold, whatever he did was superb. Even his constant absence was easily explained away. Piper had actually managed to skip the last two dinners with her _lovely_ parents and now she was sitting there listening to her mother's ranting about Piper being completely disrespectful to their family's traditions… It all made her feel utterly frustrated and Cal's behavior didn't help much either. He was sitting on the opposing side from Piper and there was a huge goofy smirk plastered on his face. He didn't speak up once to defend his older sister, busing himself with eating instead. Piper even kicked him under the table to force him to say something, maybe change the topic of their conversation but all Cal did was look up at her with even bigger grin.

Piper had lost her appetite and was just sitting there pushing the food around her plate. She was simply trying to survive the whole ordeal of spending time with her mother. Her father was manageable since he hardly ever said anything. The blonde suspected that he also had had enough of his adorable wife but was too afraid to express his frustrations. Piper worried a bit that when the day came, there would be a stormy fight between her parents which might even end up in divorce. All that pent up bad energy had to find its outlet in the end. For the time being though, Bill was just sitting there looking kind of miserable. His food was also almost untouched and Piper felt a bit sorry for her old man.

Finally, her mother decided it was time for the dessert so she left the room to bring the cheesecake that she had ordered in her favorite shop (Carol never baked on her own).

"Oh, goody! Sweet stuff is sweet!" Miraculously Cal finally found his voice.

"Look! It can speak." Piper couldn't help letting her frustration show.

"Fuck off, Piper Elizabeth." Cal answered with a sweet smile never leaving his lips.

"Language." Bill warned.

"Why didn't you say something when she was talking shit about me. I always stand up for you but I guess I can't count on the same favor from you. You're an asshole." Piper whisper-screamed at Cal.

"Language." Bill made both of his children look at him with annoyance.

"Well… It was nice not to be the addressee of her tirade for once. Besides, that wouldn't change anything and you know it so why should I bother?"

"Fuck you, Cal."

"Language." Bill's voice sounded tired.

Cal was obviously getting frustrated by his father's behavior. He looked at him directly.

"Dad, these are just words. Stop treating us as if we were still five years old. Me and Piper can say 'fuck' as often as we please and nothing bad gonna happen. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fucking fuck! See?"

And just at that moment Carol came back to the dining room. Her face was red with anger which clearly meant that she had heard Cal's cussing litany.

"What on earth, Cal?" She shouted at a high pitch, making all the three people by the table twist their faces in pain. "This is not how I brought you up!" And her attention was now on poor Cal. Piper giggled under her breath. Well, she did feel a bit like a five-year-old again.

"I tried to warn you two." Bill calmly whispered to them. He also was unable to conceal his smile. Yet, he was cautious not to turn Carol's attention to him.

For a while Piper could relax since she was no longer the target of her mother's anger. She enjoyed her cheesecake since it was really good, her favorite in fact but she would never admit that to Carol. Somehow, she didn't want to give her mother the satisfaction of being right. The blonde's mind wandered to her girlfriend. It had been marvelous two weeks and Piper didn't remember ever being so happy in her life. Alex seemed to be perfect. The way the older woman treated her made Piper fall in love with her more every day. Yes, fall in love. She stopped denying that because she knew that that was what she felt. She had never been so infatuated before. Even her friends noticed the change. Somehow, Piper felt excited and giddy and alive all the time. It seemed that nothing in the world could really put her down anymore. Every time she thought about Alex, her heart started to beat faster and she felt the corners of her mouth rise. Right as she was about to wonder what her girlfriend was doing at the moment, she heard her mother calling her name.

"Piper?"

"Yes, mom?"

"I've just asked you a question. Why aren't you listening to me? You've been so absent-minded lately. It can't be anything good."

Piper was very close to snapping at her mother but Bill's miserable gaze which was silently begging her not to, stopped the blonde. She took a long calming breath before addressing Carol.

"I'm sorry, mother. What was the question?"

"What are you planning to do in life? The summer break is practically over. Art and writing are not going to put food on your table. Your grandmother's money is going to run out eventually as well." She stared expectantly at Piper. "So?"

"So what?" She was trying to avoid the unavoidable – _the_ issue of Piper's future.

"So what do you plan to do if you claim so loudly you're not looking for a life with a good husband."

This statement actually amused the blonde. At least her mother seemed to be finally accepting the fact that a typical family scenario is not gonna happen in her case. It was a small progress but still, Piper understood that she should be happy about anything even slightly positive from her mother's opinions.

"Mom, don't worry. I'll figure something out. Besides, I can always pursue academic career. A lot of my professors have actually suggested that to me already."

"Academic career is nice and all, honey, but it won't bring you money. Believe me." Carol just wouldn't give up. "You need something more stable in life. Painting is more of a hobby than a career, my dear and me and your father have been patient enough with you."

"What do you mean?" Piper looked questionably at her father before she returned her sight to Carol. "What are you talking about? Patient?" Her voice started to show the symptoms of the upcoming anger. The blonde felt like erupting any second now. Why can't her parent just simply accept who she is?! Besides, it's not like they don't have enough money. In fact, her family was fucking loaded and even if Piper decided not to do anything in life, she would still be able to have a pretty peaceful life with some normal, not super highly paid job. Maybe without extravagance of a huge house and so on but Piper had never cared about issues like that. She could eventually sell her flat… She still felt it was too empty and too big.

"Piper Elizabeth, I'm just saying that you should be more responsible about your future. You can't count only on my and your father's money all the time." Carol's tone suddenly sounded quite threatening. Was she suggesting something?

"I don't count on you only."

"Good because if you don't sort your life out a bit you might be forced to fend on your own." The older woman's voice was deprived of any trace of emotion.

"What do you mean?"

"You've heard me perfectly well. If you don't start treating your life like an adult would, you might not see any more penny from me in the future."

"You would fucking disown me or something?" Piper retorted with sad frustrated laughter.

"Language." Was all Carol said looking straight into the blonde's eyes.

"I asked you a question." Piper's eyes didn't leave her mother's sight either.

"I'm not willing to invest into a lost cause."

Piper hated that tone of her mother's voice. What the older woman said to her really stung this time and suddenly the blonde was extremely tired. All she wanted was to get away from there as fast as she could, especially that now she could feel her anger sky rocketing at a fearful speed. Tears were stinging her eyes but she was determined not to give her mother any satisfaction. She abruptly stood up from the dining table.

"I think I've had enough." She threw her napkin on her plate. "I don't think I'll come next week." And at that she left the room.

– – –

Piper slammed their parents' house door with such venom that she could hear the window panes shake. She felt like creaming but she knew that wasn't the brightest idea since she was still standing in front of the mansion. She didn't give a damn about her parent's money but the way her own mother treated her infuriated the blonde to no end. She wasn't only angry. She was simply hurt, and tired, and genuinely sad. The tears that she had been holding through most of their conversation were freely streaming down her cheeks and that fact only made her feel worse. Piper hated crying. She always did anything and everything in her might not to let people see her being that weak.

The blonde decided that she needed a walk. Even though the summer was basically over and the first little signs of the upcoming fall were starting to show, the evening was still nice and warm. Soft breeze was caressing Piper's face, slowly drying the tears away. With every step that she took she was more and more sure that she needed to limit her contact with her parents to a minimum. For many years she continued to hope that one day her mother would change. She would finally see a human in Piper and not just her doll meant to be shown off to others. "Fucking investment…" She muttered under her breathe and the words threatened to bring the tears back for a second. It took Piper a while to calm down again but when she finally did she was more determined than ever to change things. She would never look up to them anymore. She had had enough this time and even though it hurt like hell, she would do everything she could to become completely independent. For good.

She sat down on a bench in a park not far away from Alex's apartment. Her legs were tired and when she looked at the watch on her mobile, she realized that she had been walking around for more than two hours. It was slowly getting cold so she needed to decide whether to come back to her own place or maybe drop by at Alex's.

There were three unread messages on her phone. The first was from Cal saying that he was sorry that the dinner ended the way it did. The second was also from her younger brother and this one made Piper laugh quietly since it said only "Mom's a bitch." She quarreled with Cal from time to time but in the end he was her little bro. She loved him and actually really enjoyed his company. Part of her was even a bit sorry that he still had to live with his parents. But not for long. Soon he would be leaving for college and Piper was pretty sure that he would choose one the furthest away from their home. Slowly she was starting to understand why Danny got away and why he never came back. That was just a safe solution to both gain his freedom and peace of mind, and to maintain somehow normal relation to their parents. Keeping the distance seemed to be the best option. Piper decided to do just the same from now on.

The third message was from Alex.

[Alex to Piper] 4:34

 _Hey, kid! I'm sorry I won't be able to see you tonight. Gotta stay at the station. :-( Unless… You don't mind getting here. I'll give you my keys. You can keep my bed warm. :-) PS Please, please say yes. PPS Bring coffee. PPPS I miss your soft lips!_

For the last two weeks the women had been almost inseparable. Of course, Alex had to work a lot, especially now that the investigation was getting more and more demanding and complicated, but she had always found a minute or two to call Piper or at least text her. The brunette was still an enigma to Piper, though. Yes, she did know what was her favorite food, or film, or music, or book, and so on but apart from the information that Alex's mother had passed away not such a long time ago and that she was the only child, Piper didn't know almost anything about her girlfriend's past. And even that what she knew, she found out not really from Alex herself but Stella (who by the way asked Piper to be patient because Alex can be quiet "a pain in the ass sometimes"). The tall beauty wasn't keen on talking about herself and Piper didn't want to pry so she decided to just wait and see what could happen.

Piper smiled and looked at her watch. It was well after 6 pm now so she decided to call the brunette first but she didn't pick up. Piper figured that she must be on some meeting and since the blonde was actually not so far away from the station, she decided to just go ahead and visit her girlfriend, just as she had asked her to.

Within 20 minutes Piper was standing in the front of the police station building. She held two steaming cups of fresh coffee from her favorite café and a bag of chocolate chip bagels she knew that Alex loved. The thought that in a minute she would see her lover made Piper feel a lot better than right after the nightmarish dinner with her family. She felt her heart flutter with excitement but not only – she was really starting to grow serious feeling towards the brunette.

Just as she was about to enter the building, she saw Bennet leaving the station in a somewhat hurry so she decided to just wave him a short hello instead of stopping him for a chat as she would usually do when she visited Alex at her workplace. Yet, when the young man noticed her she stopped immediately and for a second Piper thought that she saw sheer panic in his blue eyes.

"Piper! Good to see you!" He seemed oddly nervous and she didn't have a clue why he would feel like that in front of her.

"Hi, John! What's up?" At that question Bennet forced himself to calm down a bit and he stood in front of Piper with his white toothy grin.

"Oh, it's all good. Busy as always but you know how it is in here. Alex probably tells you all about the crazy working hours and so on. Caputo had been making us all crazy but I'm not surprised. I would also be pain in the ass if I had to do his job." He was obviously rambling, which was unusual. John was a rather quiet man so seeing him talking like that made Piper feel weird. Her gut was telling her that something was wrong and for some mysterious reason Bennet was trying to prevent the blonde from entering the building. Especially that now he was standing in front of her in such a way that Piper was unable to even see what was going inside even though the big door was wide open.

 _ **In the meantime in Alex's office**_

"I've told you fucking million times already, Sylvia. We are not together. We've never been together. You are not my girlfriend. Stop fucking stalking me." Alex was beyond furious. She had had problems with her ex-lover for a while now but she honestly hope they would die down on their own when Sylvie gets bored and moves on. Yet, that never truly happened and now the red head was standing in her office pleading with Alex again.

"But we were so good together. Why can't you see that?" The shorter girl whined.

"We…" Alex pointed between them "are never going to be together, ok? So please stop coming here, stop calling me. Stop leaving messages for me here. It makes me look unprofessional."

Sylvie came closer to Alex even though the brunette was trying to maintain their distance. She put her hands on the detective's waist and Alex tried to stop her from getting any closer by holding the red-head by her forearms. The shorter girl laughed lightly at that.

"What? Scared of me now?" She smirked and pulled Alex closer to her. She got nearer to the detective and started whispering into her ear. "I clearly remember you having a totally different reaction to my touch." And then she kissed her below her ear, surprising even Alex. Before she had the time to push Sylvie away, the door to her small office flew open and for a second the raven-haired woman felt relief, hoping that Stella's gonna save her before she killed Sylvie right in the middle of the police station, but when she looked up from the annoying woman what she saw made her eyes widen in sheer horror.

"Pipes? What are you doing here?" She asked as she shoved Sylvie away from herself and walked to her girlfriend, trying to reach out her hand to her but the blonde took a step back. Piper's face was blank and white as a sheet of paper.

"Something very stupid, apparently." The blonde whispered more to herself than Alex and turned around to leave. The brunette tried to stop but Piper was having nothing of it. She stormed out of Alex's office but the detective followed her.

"Pipes, stop. You've got it all wrong."

"Yes, I did have it all wrong." She continued to walk angrily down the corridor leading to the exit.

"Please, don't be like that. Pipes…" Alex tried once again to hold Piper's wrist in order to stop her from leaving the building altogether but all that she managed to achieve was Piper snapping at her, the blonde's temper obviously reached its limit.

"Don't you fucking touch me." She angrily whispered to Alex when they were outside the police station and Alex yet again tried to hold Piper's forearm to stop her from leaving without explanation.

"Let me explain everything. I don't know what you think you've just seen there but by the looks of it you are so wrong." The brunette tried to calmly reason with the younger woman.

"Now I know why fucking Bennet was so damn talkative all of a sudden."

"What?" This got Alex confused. "What are you talking about?"

Piper just looked at her with an expression that Alex was simply unable to read. This situation was starting to get out of hand and it scared the shit out of her.

"Fuck you, Alex." Piper finally spitted through clenched teeth. She shoved the coffee and bagels into Alex's hands. "Oh, and enjoy your fucking supper. AND if you follow me I'm gonna fucking scream." At that she turned around and started walking never looking back.

Alex stood there speechless. She wasn't sure wheatear Piper was serious about the screaming part but she couldn't really risk it in front of the police station, especially that in the corner of her eye she could see Caputo entering the building together with Healy. She threw the food and drinks into the nearest trash bin and after taking a few long breaths while waiting for her boss get to his office, she finally decided to get back to her own little room as well.

As she was walking back she saw that Sylvie was still at the station, arguing with Bennet and Stella in front of the information desk. Alex saw red. She stepped close to the red-head and grabbed the woman's jacket forcefully, almost lifting her up. This seemed to scare the shorter girl.

"If you ever, and I mean EVER, show your fucking face here or near my apartment or near anyplace where me or my friends are, you are going to need a fucking restraining order against me. If you ever call me or ask about me, you're going to be in deep shit troubles. Do you hear me?" Alex shook her a bit. "I asked: . ?"

It was extremely quiet in the corridor. Everybody was looking at the small gathering, most people not understanding what was really going on.

"Yes." Sylvie whispered, clearly shaken and scared. Nobody knew this side of Alex. She was hardly ever violent and this time it looked as if it hadn't been for Stella, who was now trying to hold Alex back, the brunette would have smashed the shorter woman.

After a few long seconds Alex finally let Sylvie drop back to her own feet. "Get the fuck away from here." She said and entered her office slamming her door.


	12. Chapter 12

– 12 –

Piper was walking at a really fast pace and her leg muscles was slowly starting to burn from exhaustion. It was getting dark and before she finally managed her tears to stop and collect herself a bit, she realized that she had no idea where she was. In her fury and shock she had continued to walk just straight ahead without registering where she had been going. Now she found herself in an empty street in the part of town she didn't really know. She didn't remember whether she had actually ever been there. The buildings seemed a bit run down but she had seen worse. This district was obviously one of the poorer city parts. She didn't feel comfortable standing there all alone.

She took out her phone to check the time. It was nearly 9 pm and Piper felt exhausted both from the physical and mental strain. She noticed an old bench by the side of the street so she decided to give her legs a little rest before deciding what to do.

When she looked at her phone second time, she finally noticed that there were lots and lots of missed calls and several text messages. Eighteen missed calls from Alex made Piper huff and she felt the anger coming back to her with double force making her eyes sting with fresh tears. Several missed calls from both Nicky and Polly. Piper figured that Alex must have called them. She opened the first unread text.

[Alex to Piper] 7:00 pm

 _Pipes, please, pick up your phone. Let's talk. You've got it all wrong._

"Fuck you, Alex." Piper whispered through tears.

[Alex to Piper] 7:20 pm

 _I've just left the station. Where are you?_

Most of the rest of Alex's messages were of the same tone but the two last ones really started to show some desperation. Piper reread them once again.

[Alex to Piper] 8:15 pm

 _I'm at your place. It's me banging on the door. Please, just open before your neighbors finally call my cop-friends._

[Alex to Piper] 8:45 pm

 _I'm still here. If you're home and just don't want to talk to me, at least let me know you're there and safe._

For a second Piper had the urge to respond to Alex's last message just let her know that she was fine but then she stopped in the middle of writing back. She looked around and realized she didn't know what to say to the brunette. She wasn't home but she didn't want to talk to her so instead of writing back she decided to just call for the cab. She was getting cold and slowly started to realize she was nowhere near safe, in a neighborhood that she didn't know. She wasn't scared yet but uncomfortable definitely yes.

While she was waiting for the cab, she heard her phone vibrating yet again. She looked at the screen and saw Polly's name.

"Hi, Polly." She said tiredly to the receiver.

"Pipes?! Fuck, it's so good to hear you. Where on earth are you?! We've been going crazy. What happened?"

"Did Alex call you?"

"Yes. Piper you must talk to her. It's not what you think, really."

Piper's anger raised at hearing her best friend defending Alex. "How the fuck can you know what happened, Pol? You were not here. And I don't want to talk to her ever fucking again." Piper was talking loudly by now.

"Okay, okay… Just calm down. Where are you?"

"On Westpine Street."

"Where is that?" Polly sounded confused. She had never heard the name before.

"Hell if I know…" Piper's voice drifted to silence when she noticed a man walking in her direction. He was tall and seemed to be quite well-built. It was difficult to say whether he was young or old because of the distance and the shadow that his hood casted over his face making it difficult to see. The blonde felt her blood freeze. She was alone in the street and this guy seemed to be purposefully walking her way. He was still quite far away but Piper wasn't sure what to do. Run and look ridiculous if the man turned out to be just a passerby or simply stand and see what would happen.

"Piper?" Polly got scared after not hearing Piper's voice for a while. "What's going on?"

The guy seemed to speed up his steps and Piper started to walk the opposite direction from him. "Fuck, Polly there's some guy here. I don't know what to do."

"Is there anyone else in the street?"

"No."

"Fucking shit. Gimme the exact address."

Just as Piper was starting to panic, she saw a cab turning her way so she started to run in its direction, waving her hand and hoping that the driver would notice her. She looked fearfully over her shoulder and saw that the man who was heading her way suddenly stopped in his tracks and was just standing there observing the whole situation. He stayed under a large tree and if someone hadn't known he was there it was easy to miss the dark figure.

When the cab finally stopped in front of the blonde, she thanked all the gods. She could hear Polly shouting to her over the phone so she finally put it to her ear again.

"Pol, I'm in a cab."

"Oh, thank God! Jesus Christ, why didn't you talk to me. I was scared shitless!"

"I'm sorry. I was too busy running." Piper laughed, her breath still shaking. "It's all good now." She could feel her knees tremble and the adrenaline pumping in her veins.

"What happened?"

"I think I just panicked. It's all right now. I'm on my way to Celeste."

"OK. Let me know when you get there."

"Of course."

When she finished her conversation with Polly, Piper noticed yet another new message from Alex and her anger returned yet again. At the moment everything that was connected with her girlfriend (was she still her girlfriend even?) made Piper's heart crack. She didn't want to talk to her nor to answer her texts. She needed to be alone and she knew that the only place where that would be possible was the house of her grandmother. At least the older lady wouldn't ask too many uncomfortable questions and she definitely wouldn't judge Piper. The blonde deleted Alex's text without reading it.

"Enough for one day." She whispered to herself.

– – –

Alex was sitting next to Piper's door. She gave up banging a while ago but refused to just leave. She couldn't understand how the things could get so complicated so fast. She was so sure of being on the right track this time. Of course, she was aware of Piper's temper but so far it had been rather cute than troublesome. This time, though, it felt like she was about to lose the blonde and just a slightest thought of that happening made her stomach turn in such a way that Alex was pretty sure she was about to vomit if she continued to think all the pessimistic thoughts. After spending more than an hour on the corridor, trying to pry the door open, she was confronted by one of Piper's neighbors so she had to stop if she didn't want to be reported to the police (ironically). By now she was sure that her girlfriend was not at her own flat but Alex figured that she would wait for here by the door. After such a long silence from the blonde, the detective didn't count on her to reach out on her own and Alex simply had to explain the whole situation. Piper was just so wrong in so many ways.

The brunette wasn't even mad anymore. Not at Piper at least. She was actually sorry for her and it made her heart break each time she wondered how her girlfriend might have been feeling at the moment. If she had ever caught Piper with another woman, no matter how ambiguous the situation might have been, Alex was sure that her hear would be torn to pieces. She tried to put herself in the blonde's position and not to judge her. At the same time she was utmost worried about her. If anything happened to her, Alex would never ever forgive herself, even though she knew it wasn't her fault that Piper had overreacted.

She tried contacting the blonde numerous times but each of her call was left unanswered. The same happened to her texts and Alex was growing more and more frustrated and desperate. By the message number 20 she didn't see any sense in trying to contact the blonde anymore so she tried her second best option – Polly. She knew that the brunette was Piper's best buddy and if anyone knew where Piper was right now it was Polly indeed. She called her several times. Each time the young woman talked to her politely but she didn't know where Piper was and after harassing the poor girl with many calls, she realized that probably Polly was telling the truth. Especially that she sounded more and more desperate herself. She also tried to call Nicky, but the wild-haired girl didn't pick up her phone, which only added to Alex's nervousness. She didn't know whether Piper was with her or Nichols was simply partying, oblivious to the whole drama.

While she was sitting miserably by the girlfriend's door, she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. She withdrew it quickly with the hope of hearing from Piper but it was only Stella.

[Stella to Alex] 10:04 pm

 _I talked to Nichols. I found her in The Glam. She has no idea where Piper is but mentioned that every time Pieper is in trouble, she runs to her grandma for help. I hope it's also the case this time. When I find her address, I'll let you know. PS GO HOME._

Alex smiled sadly at her best friend's attempt to help her. Stella was truly her savior more times than the brunette was willing to admit. She was slowly scrambling to her feet when she heard her phone ringing. When she looked at the screen, she was happy to see Polly's number on it.

"Where is she? Is she safe? Please, Polly, that's all I need to know right now."

"Alex, she's OK now."

"What do you mean NOW?" Alex was alert as her hand start to shake a bit.

"Chill. She's fine. Really. She's heading to her grandma right now."

"What's the address?"

"I don't this she want to talk to you, Alex. She seemed quite pissed."

"I know… But Polls… I really, _really_ need to talk to her." There was silence on the other side of the line. It seemed that Polly was pondering whether to tell Alex where to find Piper or not. "Please." Alex quietly whispered and the way she said it made Polly relent.

"Adams Rd, 198. She's gonna know I gave you the address so you need to be my bodyguard next time I see her because she's gonna be on a mission to rip my head off. Understood?"

Alex felt relief washing over her. At least Piper was safe, even if she still refused to talk to her. "Don't worry. You can count on me." She laughed, not recognizing her own voice which was filled with nerves and fatigue.

"Fuck, I hope I can because she's gonna be pissed beyond any measure and even a normal pissed Piper is not a pretty sight to encounter." Polly laughed back.

There was silence on the line for a while.

"Thank you." Whispered Alex.

"Talk to her."

"I will. And seriously, Polly… Thank you so much for this call."

Alex was already on her way, running down the stairs faster than a lightening. In the meantime she managed to call Stella to tell her that she didn't have to look for the grandma's address anymore. Alex was on the mission to get Piper to listen. She didn't care if she had to storm the blonde's grandmother's house. She was ready for any fight in order to get her girlfriend to understand.

– – –

Meanwhile, Pieper was sitting in her grandmother's guest room. She knew the older woman would be able to make her spill all the details of what had happened and it was good to talk to someone who at least tried to understand.

"Cal is right, Piper. Your mother can be such a bitch sometimes."

The statement made Pieper spit her hot chocolate out. She laughed hard at her grandma's forwardness. "I don't think you're supposed to say that about Carol." She finally admitted.

"Well… I don't think she's got a right to treat you like that, either, Pipe." The older woman hugged her granddaughter but at the same time she noticed that even though Piper told her all about the family argument, the blonde still seemed to extremely sad and she had a feeling that the whole drama was more than just the typical Chapman hysteria. "Hon, what is it?"

Piper hesitated for a while before making up her mind. "Do you remember that girl I told you about?"

"Alex?"

Piper was surprised that her grandmother had remembered. "Well… Yeah."

"What about her? I thought she was 'perfect.'" Celeste smiled but instead of making Piper smile, the older woman saw that her favorite grandchild was fighting the tears once again. "Oh, Pipe, what happened?" She hugged the girl again.

"Let's just say she fucked up majorly."

"Okay… If you don't want to talk about it, I'll understand, hon." Celeste looked straight in Piper's eye. "But can I ask you just one single question?" This got Piper confused a bit and intrigued at the same time.

"Sure." The blonde answered.

"Did you let her explain?"

Piper was speechless. She sat there with her mouth gaping but this time the anger didn't show his ugly face up. She could never be pissed at her grandma.

"Well… Actually…" She whispered.

"That means a 'no'. Correct me if I'm wrong." Celeste looked at her with a knowing smile and it made Piper feel a bit uncomfortable. She knew her grandma wasn't really judging her but she had a point there at the same time. After several hours, Piper was slowly willing to admit that she might not have given the brunette any chance to explain herself.

"It all went down so fast. I was angry. I still am." The blonde could feel the tears threaten to make their appearance once again and it only strengthened her anger. "She played me, grandma." She said through gritted teeth.

"Did you talk to her or just run?" Celeste asked kindly and it made Pier clench her jaw. "Honey… Listen to me. You might be right there but if you care about her so much… And it's pretty clear that you do… Just let her explain. If you still think she lied to you, I'll kick her ass myself. OK?" This made Piper smile through the tears that had already spilled down her cheeks.

"Why should I care what she says?"

"It's better to be sorry that you did something than to be sorry that you didn't. If you care about her so much do you really want to wonder for the rest of your life what would happen if you let her explain?" The older woman held Piper's gaze. "Believe me, the 'what if' can kill, Pipe."

Piper smiled sadly at her grandmother. "I'm tired, grandma. I think I need some sleep. I'll think about everything tomorrow."

"OK, hon. I love you." Celeste got up from the bed. She smiled one more time at her granddaughter before leaving the room, leaving Piper to analyze her own thoughts and feelings.

– – –

As Celeste was walking down the stairs, she finally heard that someone was knocking on the door. Because of the music that they had been listening with Piper in the guest room, the older woman was unable to hear the doorbell earlier. By the sound of the increasing banging, she figured that whoever was at the door, was slowly growing impatient.

"I'm coming!" She said loudly as she descended the last few steps and opened the door tentatively. It was quite late, after all. There stood a beautiful woman, much taller than Celeste, but she didn't seem to be a threat. The look on her face showed rather worry, desperation and uncertainty than danger. "You must be Alex." The older woman said with a warm smile.

"I…" It got Alex by surprise but after just a second she shoot the odd feeling and asked whether she could talk to Piper.

"She's upstairs, come I'll show you the way." The older woman's willingness to help Alex surprised the brunette even more but she didn't argue. She simply followed the older woman up the stairs.

After a short while, having thanked the older lady, she entered a dimly light room.

"Piper?" She asked tentatively. She saw a figure laying on the bed with her back towards Alex.

"Al? What are you doing here?"

Before Alex had the chance to answer, she head a soft click behind her and Pieper strung up from the bed and run to the door. The blonde tried to yank the door open a few times and upon realizing it would budge, she put her forehead to it. Alex stood there perplexed.

"What is going on?" The brunette asked her (hopefully) girlfriend.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck… Fucking fuck, fuck." The blonde continued to whisper under her breath, ignoring the brunette for a while.

"Pipes?" Alex turned towards the shorter woman.

"We're locked in."

"What?" Alex laughed nervously. She still didn't know where she was standing with Pieper.

"She would do that to me and Cal when we were kids." Piper was still standing with her forehead at the door. "Whenever we argued, she would find a way to lock us up somewhere and she wouldn't let us out until we sorted it out." Piper huffed.

"Oh… Okay…" Alex didn't really know what to say. She was happy to be in the same room as Piper but at the same time she was hoping not to escalate their conflict. She wasn't sure how the blonde would react to her trying to talk. "So… We should talk… Right?" She tried gently.

"Talk about what exactly, Alex?" Piper's anger flared once again. "You were the one to say that honesty was our best policy or did you fucking forget that?" Piper still refused to face the brunette. "And all the time you were fucking lying to me!" She was unable to conceal the anger and hurt anymore even though she didn't want to show her girlfriend how truly hurt she was.

"Pipes…" Alex tried to reach out to the blonde but she squirmed away as if Alex's touch was burning her so instead of trying again she sat on the bed that was still unmade. She closed her eyes, contemplating what to do next, how to reach Piper, even though the blonde was clearly not willing to listen to her.

After a while she started to speak. Her voice was so quiet that Piper had to actually strain her ears to be able to hear. "I don't have any siblings. My mother brought me up all on her own because my father was a drug-addicted fuck up who didn't give a damn whether I was around or not… I don't care about him anymore. I don't even know if he's alive or not. My mother was always my superhero. She did many jobs at the same time just to keep us safe and the moment I left high school I decided to do anything in my might to make her life easier. I tried to reach to my lousy father again but he didn't give a single fuck. The only 'good' thing out of that meeting was the fact that I met Fahri. He got me hooked up with a drug cartel. I started making quite good money. I was so lost in it that, Pipes. It was all good until I got arrested…" Alex trailed off and it made Piper spin around, looking at her girlfriend with curiosity. "Caputo said I faced 3 years in prison for drug dealing." She paused. "I fucking cried. I was so scared… I didn't want Diane to find out what I was doing. She didn't have a clue." Alex laughed sadly again. "I promised Joe that I would stop and give him the names if he just let me go. And you know what? He did… He did and he got me to rehab since I was already addicted to drugs. That's why I still keep helping some youngsters out there, like Trish."

"Al…" Piper was openly crying by now. She sat next to Alex and tried to hold her hand but the brunette didn't let her.

"Shhh…" The detective needed to say it all. "I went through the rehab… then through schools and trainings and just as my life seemed to be on the right path, Diane died." Alex stopped to take a breath. "And I got lost again. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. I focused on my work. I would work my ass off at the police and party all nights long, sleeping around, having 'fun'." She made the sight of inverted commas. "And there was Sylvie…" Piper cringed her face upon hearing the red-head's name but she continued to listen. "I was with her for a while but I felt it wasn't what I was looking for and I broke up with her but she just wouldn't listen to me. She kept harassing me. I didn't think it was important enough to tell you." She finished her story quietly.

Piper kept staring at her girlfriend, unable to read her face expression. Alex seemed disheartened. Defeated.

"Did you love her?" Piper asked softly, still looking straight at the brunette.

Alex turned her head towards Piper, looking right in her eye. "No." She whispered not breaking the eye contact. "But I love you."

Piper's breath hitched in her chest. She hadn't expected Alex to confess such strong feelings and her quietness made Alex start feeling uncomfortable.

"You have to say it back." The brunette smiled tentatively and Piper's radiant smile made its appearance on the blonde's face.

"I love you, too." She whispered back and right then and there Alex knew they would be OK.


	13. Chapter 13

– 13 –

They were lying face to face on the bed, just talking. They had been frozen in that position for a while now. The house was quiet. Nobody was looking for them. For a moment it seemed that this crazy world had forgotten about them and they did not miss the crazy world's attention, either. Piper and Alex were perfectly content simply lying there, staring into each other's eyes.

"Why are you whispering?" Alex smiled at the blonde after a while and Piper could swear she could see stars in those sparkling green eyes. Being happy and relaxed suited Alex. It wasn't such an often sight since the brunette had been mostly alert and super stressed recently so Piper was just lying there and enjoying the vision of Alex's smiling face. She didn't even register that there had been a quiet question thrown her way. "Earth to Piper…" The blonde blinked once before breaking a smile on her own.

"Whispering?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah." Alex whispered back, stifling a giggle. "It's not like your grandma can hear us. Her room is on the other side of this huge house."

"I don't know why I was whispering." Piper laughed. "It seems more intimate? I dunno." She wondered aloud and the brunette's eye brow shot up. "What?" The younger woman questioned her girlfriend upon seeing her smirk like that.

"You wanna be more intimate, you say…" Alex whispered to her while she started trailing her fingertips up and down Piper's ribcage, making her squirm a bit. The brunette was already able to see little goosebumps.

"Stop it, Al." The blonde stated but she wouldn't be able to convince even herself that she really meant it and it obviously did not convince Alex either since she freely continued her ministrations. Namely, the brunette was now kissing down Piper's neck while her hand slowly glided up her girlfriend's torso before it gently cupped her breast. She could already feel her erected nipple through the thin material of her grey GAP t-shirt. Alex softly pinched it, so delicately that Piper wasn't sure whether she hadn't imagined it but the growing heat between her thighs made her finally believe that yes, indeed, the detective was slowly getting bolder with each of her movements.

At the same time, Alex was marveling at how responsive Piper's body was to her, even to the most tentative touch. How it reacted to her every caress, every kiss and every gentle stroke. The brunette suddenly felt overwhelmed with how much she felt for the younger woman and when she thought how close she had been to losing her, she felt hot tears pooling in the corners of her eyes.

"Al…" Piper whispered as she cupped her girlfriend's cheeks. She was alarmed at what she saw. She had never seen Alex being so vulnerable, so open. "Are you OK?" She asked. She was a bit worried by the sudden emotions dancing in the green eyes.

"Shh… Let me love you." Alex whispered back before kissing Piper with such passion that it took the blonde's breath away. She didn't care about her old grandma anymore and she forgot about the whole damn world as well. The only thing that truly mattered then and there was Alex and her soft, yet demanding, lips upon her own.

Before she could register what was happening, she was already lying naked on the bed with Alex's equally naked body covering hers like a warm blanket. She could feel her hand roaming all over her bare abdomen before it returned to her breast which was aching to be touched. When she felt Alex's thigh pushing her legs apart, she didn't protest. On the contrary – she was eager to finally feel her girlfriend between them, right where she needed her the most. Yet, Alex didn't seem to be in a hurry. She sucked on Piper's pulse point before going down to her perky breasts and when she felt Alex's hot lips sucking one of her nipples, her hand shot to the long mane of raven hair. She couldn't believe how her body simply gave itself up to Alex. She was down to mush, unable to form any coherent statement. All that left her lips were pants and soft moans which only encouraged Alex to go on. The brunette's left hand went slowly lower, across Piper's tense abdomen muscles. As she kissed her lips, she slid two of her fingers into Piper's dripping core. The blonde couldn't contain the deep moan that rumbled in her chest. She was glad that Alex didn't stop kissing her fervently even for a second because she was sure she would have woken her poor grandma wide awake (something that she was desperately trying to prevent from happening).

Alex's thrusts were gaining in speed and force and Piper could feel the familiar coil in the pit of her stomach starting to form, yet the blonde didn't stay oblivious to her girlfriend's hips grinding into her thigh. Piper needed them to go over the edge at the same time. She needed that connection. In between kisses and hot whispers she slid her fingers into Alex's needy opening.

"Oh God, Pipes…" Alex hissed through her teeth. She seemed to be surprised at the blonde's movement but she definitely didn't complain. The moment she felt the digits inside herself, her arousal increased tenfold and she was sure she was about to climax in any minute now. She grabbed Piper's hand and squeezed it as she kissed her girlfriend with all she had.

When Piper felt Alex's moist lips kissing her own with such need, she couldn't stop falling over the edge. Her orgasm was extremely strong. All that she was able to feel was Alex's confident thrusts, all that she was able to hear was Alex's own moans of pleasure, all she was able to smell was their mixed arousal. It was all too much for both of them, yet neither of them ceased their hand movement and before they knew it, they were both flying again. So high that for a second Alex was sure she would black out. The second orgasm surprised her. She had never had two of those in a row in such a short time. Her toes were curling, her breath hitched in her throat. This all felt like too much for her.

The next thing that Alex remembered was Piper's warm and inviting arms around her. The brunette was lying on the bed, engulfed in her girlfriend's body. She could smell Piper's perfume all over her. When she rubbed her eye, she could feel that her cheeks were wet from tears and it made Alex feel exposed more than ever before. She was afraid to look at Piper. Afraid of what she would see in the blonde's eyes.

Before Alex could let her mind run million stupid theories, she felt Piper's warm hand on her cheek slowly nudging her to look up.

"I love you." Piper whispered while she continued to wipe Alex's tears away. "I love you." She whispered again before she kissed Alex's forehead. "I love you." She whispered yet again before kissing her lips.

"Don't you ever run away from me." Was the only thing that Alex was able to whisper back.

– – –

 _6 weeks later_

Alex was sitting on her bed, reading a novel while Piper was trying to make some food for them. The blonde had improved her cooking skills a bit (at least she was desperately trying to do so) since the first disastrous dinner that the two of them had shared.

"Pipes, I'm starving here." Alex laughed shutting the book closed. "What are you up to there? Why is it such a fucking secret?"

"It's not a fucking secret. We have no secrets fucking." Piper smirked at Alex from her position by the cooker and the brunette was unable to contain the laugh.

"True."

Since that night at the grandma's, Piper and Alex had been inseparable. The blonde had practically moved into Alex's small apartment. Despite her own place being much bigger, Piper felt more comfortable at the detective's flat. She felt as if it had more soul, more warmth, more everything. The only nights that Piper stayed at her own loft were when Alex had a night shift or Piper herself had to be at the university early in the morning (her place was simply closer to the campus).

The blonde was unable to contain the smile that crept to her lips as she continued to think about the recent weeks. She didn't remember ever being that happy, that content. Every moment that she spent with Alex was pure bliss. The two of them understood each other without words. It was almost scary really. Piper sometimes felt as if the brunette was inside her head. And the funny part? Piper didn't mind. For the first time she decided to let it go, just go with the flow and see what would happen. Piper consciously decided to trust Alex no matter what her own silly mind would whisper.

She felt strong arms hugging her from behind and she leaned back a bit to feel more of Alex. The brunette nuzzled the back of her neck, leaving soft kisses up to her ear.

"You make my mouth water, kid." She murmured.

"It's going to be ready soon, any minute now, babe. Patience."

"I wasn't talking about the food." Alex's hands kept roaming Piper's abdomen but Piper hushed her away gently.

"You're not going to distract me with sex, Al." Piper held up her forefinger to the taller woman's mouth upon seeing that she wanted to protest. "No, not this time, baby." She laughed when she saw Alex's eyes full of merit and mischief. "I've been trying too hard to make this dinner nice and eatable to eat it cold later. Go and make yourself useful, lay the table."

"The table's been ready for the last hour." Alex laughed out loud. "I've been more than ready to eat for the last two so…"

"So impatient…" Piper kissed Alex's lips. "Just go and sit by the table, hungry and grumbling woman."

When they were both seated Piper observed Alex taking the first bite of the casserole that she had prepared. She had found the recipe on the Internet and was now silently hoping that it would be at least half as good as other people had claimed it to be. When her girlfriend didn't say anything after third and fourth bite, Piper couldn't take it anymore.

"And?"

Alex ate some more before lifting her fork, pretending to be in deep contemplation. "It's nice. Really good."

"Do you like it?" Piper hadn't tried the food herself yet. She was too giddy to hear her girlfriend's opinion first.

"Sure, babe." Alex continued to eat but the brunette's lack of enthusiasm got Piper worried. When she finally decided to take a bite of the casserole, she immediately knew why Alex didn't comment too much. Piper spit out the food.

"Oh my God… why the fuck is it so spicy?!" The blonde continued to choke in between huge gulps of mineral water, making Alex spit out her food as well, but rather because of laughter than pure hatred of the food itself. "How can you even eat that?"

After Alex drank a greater part of her glass of water she finally answered, being extra careful not to take too big sips of air while talking. She knew that oxygen would make the burning feeling only worse. "I like spicy food. Although, you've surprised me a bit here." She chuckled.

"How the fuck did I manage to ruin our dinner again? I really did follow the recipe, to the tiniest detail." Piper whined while the pout on her face continued to grow.

"Didn't you try during cooking?"

"It's a fucking casserole, Alex. It was raw before I put it into the oven. No, I did not try it." Piper's growing anger made it hard for Alex not to laugh again but the brunette really didn't want to make her girlfriend feel bad. She found the whole situation rather funny… yet again. And then an idea popped into her head.

"Pipes, you added paprika to this. Am I right?"

"Fucking figures." Piper was pushing the food around her plate miserably and Alex really had to bite hard on her own tongue not to burst out laughing at the sad vision in front of her. She found Piper's childish behavior adorable at moments like this.

"Baby, I told I had only chilly in my drawer…"

"Fuck…"

"Yeah…"

Piper looked up at the brunette and Alex couldn't take it anymore. She burst out laughing, making the younger woman start to chuckle as well. "I guess I won't become your chef."

"I don't want you to." Alex smiled as she walked up to her girlfriend and turned her around in her seat. She sat down on her lap, facing her. She kissed her gently. "As far as I'm concerned, we can eat out every day. I don't give a damn." She kissed Piper again. "Or I can cook." She smiled down at the blonde.

"You cook?" Piper's eye-brows shot up.

"I'm good at a lot of things." Alex started now kissing down Piper's neck while her hands got themselves busy under the blonde's shirt.

"I know, Al. But now we need to get some decent food and I gotta go to school. Remember?" Piper pushed Alex's hands away.

"Agh… It's so boring to be responsible." She smiled at the younger woman, yet she let her go.

"Just enjoy your free day, baby. Go, grab a beer with Stella or something. You haven't had too much time for your friends recently."

Alex smiled at the blonde. She was happy that Piper wasn't one of those crazy jealous girlfriends… Not anymore anyway… Ever since they discussed all of their issues, they were both fully honest with each other and it made so many things so much easier. For the first time since her mom's death, Alex was able to say that she was honestly happy. She'd realized that life could be easy again. Simple. Steady. Every time she stole a glace of Piper, she felt her heart swell and her stomach do a somersault. Yes, Alex was content and this time around she didn't feel guilty about it. She was sure her mother would have been happy for her. In fact, she was sure that the blonde and her mother would have definitely like each other. Piper was sweet and nice, intelligent and well-read… AND fisty. All the favorite features in her mother's standards. With time Alex realized that they even had exactly the same dry sense of humor. Yep… Diane and Piper would have been the best of friends.

"So?" Piper's voice shook Alex awake from her daydreaming.

"So what?" She kissed her girlfriend's cute nose and the blonde giggled.

"Are you going to drop me off?

"Where?"

"At my parent's house. I need to take a few things from there before I go to the campus. Were you even listening to me?" Piper punched Alex's arm evoking laughter from the brunette. "Asshole." She whispered.

"OK, get yourself ready, babe." Alex smacked lightly Piper's ass when they both stood up. "I'll clean this mess later." She added looking at the table with their uneaten dinner. "Aren't you hungry?"

"Nope. I think my taste buds are burnt out." Piper stated somberly making Alex laugh.

– – –

Alex dropped Piper at her Parent's house where the blonde was supposed to take a few things and also retrieve her car which had been at a mechanic's for over a week and was now ready for her to drive. The brunette gave her a quick kiss and sped off to their apartment. At least that was how Alex thought of her small flat now… She was still to ask Piper to move in with her. She knew that everything with them was going so fast but at the same time she couldn't help noticing how comfortable Piper felt at Alex's pace. Besides… She was fully content to wake up every morning next to her lovely blonde…

As Alex was contemplating whether to finally ask Piper to move in with her, the younger woman was stepping up the stairs to her parent's big mansion. Just as she opened the front door, her mother welcomed here with cold eyes and a fake smile.

"Who was that?" The older Chapman asked.

"Who do you mean?"

"That woman who drove you here in that old car."

"Oh, you mean Alex. That was my girlfriend." Piper stated nonchalantly.

"Your what?"

"Just stop, OK? I know what you're about to say and I would like to say first that whatever you think and want to voice right now… I just don't care. That was Alex Vause. My partner. Whether you like it or not. Yes, she's a woman. Still, I don't care." Piper calmly stated and went upstairs to pack the things she was planning to take with her. She felt a funny feeling of courage tingling in her stomach. It felt good to be so sure about herself and what she wanted.

– – –

Alex was sitting by a table in some run down bar.

"Why do we always have to pick so horrible places?" She asked her shorter tattooed friend.

"Umm… Because they have a nice vibe?" Stella chuckled.

"I'm not sure what you mean by 'a nice vibe'…" Alex stated. "Yet, they do have decent beer and we can play some pools so I probably shouldn't complain." She grinned at her police partner.

"Soooo… shut the fuck up." Stella grinned back and continued to sip her beer. She was happy to finally have a day off. Ever since that serial killer had surfaced, she didn't have a single evening to herself or to her friends. She missed the good old days when she and Alex (and sometimes Healy or Big Boo) could just enjoy a day together. The cops she worked with were her family, her everything. Especially Alex. That woman was not only her partner but also her closest friend, her sister.

The women stayed at the bar for several hours. After a couple of beers both of them switched to water with lemon. They knew that the next day they had a shift together, as always, and they wanted to feel physically well so excessive drinking was out of the question.

Just as they were starting their fifth pool game in a row, Alex's cell started to vibrate.

" _Vause."_ She barked to the phone.

" _Alex, get your ass here as soon as possible. I assume Stella is with you. Get her ass here, too."_ Big Boo's voice could be heard over the phone.

" _What's going on?"_

" _Alex, you must be here… like… right now…"_

" _What the fuck happened?! Is there another victim?"_ Alex could feel how the panic was spreading in her body. On the one hand she had been hoping that there wouldn't be other victims of that sick fuck… On the other, she was perfectly sure that unless they found another dead body, they wouldn't be able to move forward with the investigation.

" _Alex… I'm so sorry…"_ Big Boo's voice was trembling and it made Alex sick to her stomach.

" _What the fuck, Boo? Just tell me."_ Alex shouted into her receiver, making Stella look at her with worry in her eyes.

" _Just get here as fast as you can."_ Big Boo stated while she obviously was struggling with containing her own emotions and then the line went dead.


	14. Chapter 14

– 14 –

Alex ran into the police station with Stella at her heels. She still felt the adrenaline pumping in her veins and for the first time in her life she definitely did not like it. Normally, Alex was an adrenaline addict. Not this time, though. This time she felt as if she was about to have a fucking heart attack and she hated every second of this. All the way to the station she was trying to reach Piper on her mobile but the blonde's phone must have been off since each and every attempt ended in the younger woman's voicemail. This only made Alex's anxiety sky-rocket. Something whispered in her ear that things were about to turn really bad… like… fucking turning-your-world-upside-down bad. And by the way everyone at the station looked at her when she run through that huge door, Alex felt that she was right about the seriousness of the whole situation. Even Bennet kind of refused to meet her gaze.

"Where is Big Boo? What's going on?" She asked the obviously stressed young man.

"Umm… Caputo is awaiting you, Alex." Bennet never called her by the first time. Ever.

"What the fuck is going on?" Alex's nerves were at their limit.

"Just go to his office." He finally met her sight. His eyes were begging her not to ask any more questions 'cause he clearly was unable to handle them. His cheeks were red, his hands were nervously going through some papers. He pretended to be highly involved with them but Alex knew he was just trying to look bored while all his demeanor screamed 'panic'.

Alex walked briskly to Caputo's office pulling Stella with her. Whatever she was about to face, she really needed a friend. Everyone else at the station looked at her as if she had grown a second head. As if she had some red blaring sign right on her forehead. Alex did not like it. She did not like it one bit.

When she finally entered her superior's office, she noticed three armed men that she had never met before. It seemed that Caputo had been trying to explain something to them but when he noticed who barged into his small office, he shut his mouth immediately.

"Alex." He whispered. His forehead was sweaty and he was clearly nervous and uncomfortable about something.

"Joe, what's going on? Is somebody finally going to tell me what the fuck came up?" Alex had never allowed herself for such behavior in public places. She had never called him by the first name in situations like this. Caputo immediately saw that Alex was stressed out of her mind and he felt only more sorry about what he was about to do.

"Vause, please… Sit down." He calmly stated although his voice seemed to be quivering a bit.

"What the fuck?" Alex wouldn't let go.

"Is this Alex Vause?" One of the men that Alex didn't recognize asked.

"What do you need from me?" Alex's anxiety was growing with the speed of light. "What happened?" She asked again but this time she directed her question at her old friend.

"Alex. There's been a body found at the campus of our university." Joe began tentatively and Alex felt a long breath leaving her lungs. She felt as if she was punched into her stomach. The whole world started spinning out of control and she actually had to sit down. Her face was white as a sheet of paper and when Stella saw what was going on, she put her hand on Alex's arm, squeezing her slightly.

"Are you OK?" The shorter brunette asked with a clear worry plastered all over her face. When Alex continued to sit with her eyes closed and her head in her hands leaning over her own knees as if she was about to throw out, Stella turned her eyes at Caputo. "A body? Whose?" She asked even though she wasn't sure she really wanted to hear the answer. She knew that Alex had had problems reaching Piper on her phone. Suddenly, she also felt that her knees are shaking. She really didn't want anything bad to happen to the blonde. Stella was sure that that would ruin her best friend. "Chief?" She asked again with eyes that were pleading 'please, please…don't tell it's her'.

Caputo looked directly at Alex. "Alex, did you know Sylvia Knowls?"

"What?" Alex's head popped up.

"Actually… I know that you knew her." The older man said.

"Knew her?" It dawned on Alex. Caputo wasn't talking about Piper, her Pipes. He was talking about Sylvia. Suddenly, the detective felt a strong need to laugh out and she did all in her might to suppress the loud giggle that was building up in her chest. She had to blink several times before the reality hit her for real. Sylvia was dead. Sylvia was fucking dead. "Did you find her body?"

"Yes." Was Caputo's short answer. He sat there staring at her as if he expected Alex to say something but the brunette had no idea what to say. How to react in a situation like this?

"Oh my God." Alex heard Stella's voice beside her and she turned to look at her friend. "Don't tell me you guys think Alex had anything to do with this shit?" Stella was agitated now. She squeezed her fists so hard that her knuckles went white.

"Carling, calm down." Caputo stated with the same calm voice even though it was perfectly clear that he didn't feel comfortable. Something was really up. He then looked back at Alex again. "Alex, these gentlemen are conducting the investigation on Sylvia's death. They've heard that you two had a serious argument not long ago. There are many witnesses claiming you threatened her."

Alex stared at him in disbelief. "What are you insinuating?"

"I'm not insinuation anything. I just want you to explain."

"Am I a fucking suspect? Are you FUCKING kidding me?" She stood up making the chair fall down to its side and two of the men in Caputo's office stepped closer to her.

"Please, Alex… There's no need to be acting like that. It's just a standard procedure. They… We need to check all the leads and you know that."

Alex understood what that meant. If she was a suspect in Sylvia's case, she couldn't go on being an active cop. Caputo had to suspend her. That was the very last thing she needed right now. The investigation on the serial killer was still on. She couldn't just take a fucking break now.

"Joe, don't do this… You know I had nothing to do with it." Yet she knew that Caputo didn't have much of a choice. That was the damn procedure.

"I know. And you know that I can't help it. I must ask you to give back your police gun and the badge. You will also not be allowed into the station until you're completely clear of any suspicion."

Alex was close to tears. She wasn't sure whether it was due to her profound anger, her helplessness or the fact that slowly it was getting to her head that Sylvia was dead. OK, she did not like the woman anymore but she had never wished her such end… not really, no matter what she might have said while arguing.

While she was standing there defeated, Alex felt her phone vibrating again. The small device was going off continually for the last ten minutes at least but the brunette couldn't answer. She quietly hoped it was Piper. For the time being she had to let it go to her voicemail. She would call her girlfriend after she had left Caputo's office which seemed to be much too stuffy for her right now. Alex felt as if she lacked air to breathe. Upon a minute of further contemplation she realized that Caputo was expecting her to give him her police ID and gun. She threw both items on his desk with much more force that she had intended. It made her feel slightly bad about it but on the other hand she really was pissed.

"Here." She looked straight into his eyes. "Anything else?"

"Actually, yes." Caputo looked uncomfortable for being forced to do this. "You need to be here tomorrow for an interrogation. 9 o'clock. Is that OK with you?"

"Do I have a choice?" She challenged him. She knew the poor man had no other option, but she was unable to stop herself. Anger was just oozing out of her pores.

"Not really… No." Caputo seemed to be equally defeated as Alex. Now he refused to meet her burning gaze.

"Are we through here?" Stella asked agitated as well. She was standing there gaping in disbelief. This whole situation felt as if it couldn't be real. What the fuck was going on?

"Yes."

All the people stared to leave Caputo's office, with Alex being the first to march out of it. She felt that if she hadn't run from that place, she would have cried and screamed. She couldn't allow herself to be seen as so weak. She needed to get away from the station. Not only because Caputo forbade her to be there but also because she couldn't take it anymore. She had to take a breath.

Right as Stella was about to follow Alex's footstep, Caputo stopped her.

"Take care of her, ok?" He asked kindly. "I know perfectly well she had nothing to do with this but I couldn't do anything. You're still in the game. AND… between you and me… I won't mind if you consult certain leads on your case with Alex." He whispered into Stella's ear as the other officers were leaving his office. Stella smiled slightly at her boss.

"I've got it, Chief." She whispered back.

– – –

Alex was sitting on a run-down bench in front of the station. She was waiting for Stella to join her. Now that she was alone, her feelings hit her with full force. Sylvia was gone. Dead cold. It was all beyond Alex. How life could get so fucking complicated suddenly. Why the hell it always had to be her. Was she some damn magnet for trouble?

After a while she reminded that her phone had been going crazy during the meeting with Caputo. She pulled the mobile from her pocket and saw that it was Trish trying to reach her. She immediately dialed back but the girl wasn't answering. Alex didn't think much of it. Probably the young girl was at some classes and couldn't talk. The school year did begin finally after all. Alex tried to call Piper next. The blonde's mobile was still turned off and it made Alex feel lonely. How she dreamt to just crawl into warm bed with her girlfriend. Just to feel her close, hear her sweet voice. Unfortunately, that was impossible for the time being. Her anger showed its horrible green claws again. How could Caputo do this to her?! He knew perfectly well how much Alex needed that investigation to be successful. Not only because the brunette wanted to be promoted but because she wanted to prove something to herself. That she was able to catch that fucker. That she was worthy of wearing her badge… The badge that she had been forced to leave on Caputo's desk… Alex's fists turned white again. "Fucking fuck…" She muttered under her breath.

She was still fighting the angry tears when she saw Stella leaving the building. It the shorter woman a while to spot Alex sitting on the bench with her shoulders slumped. When she did finally see her, she walked straight up to her. Stella stood right in front of Alex, not saying anything, just staring at her friend with expectation in her eyes.

"What?" Alex's raspy voice finally broke the uncomfortable silence.

"He told me to look after you."

"Fuck him."

"He told me to look after you and quietly consult with you everything that is connected to our investigation."

Alex looked up to her with surprise shining in her eyes. "He told you what?"

"You heard me." Stella looked straight into Alex's green poles. "He knows this whole thing is just fucking bullshit but he must follow the procedures. You should be cleared soon. Just give him some alibi. Ask Piper to tell them that you were with her." Alex's face dropped at Stella mentioning that the detective might be forced to involve her girlfriend in this all.

"OK." She answered quietly, completely resigned and tired.

"By the way… Have you finally reached her?" Stella asked.

"No. And Trish was trying to contact me but now she's also not answering her phone." Alex huffed. She was getting more and more frustrated about the whole situation. She wasn't sure where to go now nor what to do. Normally she would have been by her desk, trying to find something that she had missed the first time she was reading the files on her case. Now she simply couldn't. She was fucking suspended. End of the fucking story.

"Go… Try to do some job. Don't mind me." Alex looked up at Stella. The shorter cop knew that Alex was thinking the same – there's nothing much we can do until the next victim.

"Okay." She whispered. "Don't do anything stupid." She poked Alex's arm lightly and the detective smiled slightly.

"Would I ever?"

"Don't make me prepare the whole fucking list of your stupid behavior." Stella smiled, yet her smile was rather sad.

"Inform me if anything comes up." Alex said as she got up. She really needed to finally talk to Piper. Explain everything before the blonde hears about Silvia from someone else.

As if Alex willed Piper to call, the brunette's mobile started to vibrate again. For a second the brunette thought it was Trish calling back but sure enough, it was her girlfriend this time and Alex's lips formed a first genuine smile since entering Caputo's office. Stella understood this as a sign for her to get the hell away and give Alex some privacy.

When Alex was alone, she picked up her phone.

" _Pipes."_ She whispered and it was more than clear that Alex was exhausted.

" _Alex? What happened? I'm sorry, I had classes. What's going on? You sound weird…"_ Piper was agitated after having heard her girlfriend's voice. Alex was obviously distressed for some reason.

" _When are you coming home?"_

" _I've just finished my last lecture. I can be there in an hour."_ Piper answered. She even didn't bother to ask which 'home' Alex actually meant. She knew that the brunette talked about her own small apartment and it made Piper smile a bit despite the worry that she could feel crawling up her spine. _"Is everything alright?"_ The blonde couldn't help asking.

" _Just come back home, ok?"_ Alex could feel her own voice cracking even though she was trying to hold her feelings in.

" _I'll take the cab, baby. I'll be there as fast as I can."_ Piper knew that something really bad had had to happen while she was at school.

" _OK."_ Was all that Alex could muster at the time and it only made the blonde more anxious. She knew she had to get home as fast as she could. Get back to her Alex.


	15. Chapter 15

_**I'm SO very sorry for such a long break. I've been really busy with work recently but I promise you guys to have the updates coming more often now. Thank you for your patience. :-)**_

– 15 –

Piper was sitting in a cab. Her foot continued to tap nervously, speeding up as the time passed by. She was anxious and worried beyond her mind. The turning wheels in her head were slowly making her go mad. She needed to be home as fast as she could and it seemed that all the forces of the world were against her. First, she hadn't been able to catch a cab. In the meantime it had started to rain and by the time some yellow car stopped in front of her mercifully, Piper was totally drained. That's how she ended up sitting wet and cold in an old cab with an elderly man as a driver. His speed was far from what the blonde expected but there was no way to make him go faster. Piper actually suspected that the poor man was half deaf since he ignored all of her pleas which eventually turned into threats… And just as she was (slowly) approaching Alex's neighborhood, the car got stuck in a tremendous traffic jam.

"Fuck it…" She whispered under her breath. "I'm dropping here." She said loudly to the man in the front seat as she threw some cash at him. She didn't even bother to explain. All that was on her mind was to get to Alex. Alex needed her. She had to be there for her.

Piper knew what had happened at the campus. Right after Alex's phone call, Piper received three messages from Polly and a phone call from Nicky. What happened to Sylvia was the morbid news of the day. The moment Piper realized what had transpired, she could feel the blood leaving her face. She knew that Alex used to date the girl and even though the relationship didn't end well, she was sure that the brunette must have been devastated upon hearing the news. Who wouldn't? But what really made Piper sick with worry was the phone call that she had received from Stella who had told her that Alex had been suspended. The younger cop was truly concerned about Alex, even more so that the raven-haired girl acted as if nothing had happened. Stella was sure it was just an act. Piper agreed.

 _I need to get there._ That was the only thing on Piper's mind as she was running down the street where Alex's block of flats was located. The rain turned into a light shower but it was still there, making the blonde's clothes stick to her body. After a few minutes she was finally able to enter Alex's place.

When she went inside it was quite dark. The curtains were drawn and even though it was still daytime and the sun was peering out of the clouds shyly, the inside of the apartment had a sort of gloomy aura around it.

"Al?" Piper whispered when she noticed the brunette sprawled on her bed. She was laying on her back, one arm was thrown over her face. The other hand was holding a half empty glass of whiskey. The smell of the alcohol was easily distinguished in the room. Piper walked up to the bed slowly. She was careful not to startle her girlfriend but Alex still jumped a bit when the blonde put her hand on Alex's arm, the one holding the drink.

"You're here." The raven-haired woman whispered. "Come here." She moved a bit, making enough space for Piper to lie down with her.

"I'm all wet. I need to change."

"I don't care. Come here." Alex insisted while pulling Piper's hand.

"Okay." She whispered back while sliding into Alex's arms. Immediately, the brunette held Piper in a strong embrace, burying her head in the crook of Piper's neck. The drink long forgotten left on the floor by the bed. "Shhh…" Piper could only tighten the hold on her girlfriend when she felt Alex tremble as the tears finally came cascading down her cheeks. It took a while for the detective to fully calm down and she was now laying numb in Piper's arms. Both her and the bed sheets were soaked because of Piper but she didn't seem to mind that much. It took them another half an hour or so to finally move and it was the blonde who did that.

"Let's take a bath, baby. C'mon." She said as she slowly pulled herself up. "Go, get the water running, there are some soaps I've made with Polly. Add those, they'll help us relax."

"What about you?" asked Alex.

"I'll be there in a minute. I'll just make the bed ready and grab our drinks, OK?"

Alex kissed her lightly on the lips.

"You're the best."

"Don't I know it…" Piper smiled gently at her.

When Piper entered the bathroom Alex was already laying in the bathtub. White bubbles were all over her body and the brunette looked as if she was sleeping. Piper slipped out of her clothes. She kissed Alex's forehead tenderly and the detective smiled without opening her eyes.

"Join me." She said when she finally opened her eyes and looked up at Piper with such adoration that it took the younger woman's breath away. When she was finally nestled safely in Alex's arms, she could finally feel how her body started to warm up in almost scorching water. Alex kissed her lightly just under her ear and she rested her head on the brunette's shoulder.

"I love you." Alex whispered and Piper smiled because she would never get tired of hearing those words. Every time the brunette said them Piper's heart was ready to burst.

"I love you, too. You know that." Piper said quietly back.

"I know." Alex whispered as she squeezed Piper even harder. The blonde didn't mind it. In fact, she loved the closeness.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Piper finally broke the silence after a few minutes. She had to know whether her girlfriend would be alright.

"About how much I love you?" Alex smiled into her neck while her left hand travelled down Piper's taut stomach, teasing the skin right above her mound but the younger girl took her hand into her own and took it away from the area, placing it gently back on her abdomen.

"Alex…" She warned. "You know what I meant." She stated as she turned around slowly, facing the brunette. "Do you want to talk about today? About Sylvia? You know I'm here, right?"

Alex's eyes clouded and suddenly they were brimming with tears. They were angry tears. The detective hated to feel so powerless, so useless. There was nothing she could do anymore. She didn't particularly like the girl… not anymore. But nobody deserved such death. Alex's mind was slowly going into overdrive. She needed answers. She needed to know what had happened to Sylvia and who did it to her and how. The brunette wasn't given any details when she was at the station. She would have to call Stella the next morning. She hadn't thought about it before and it also infuriated the detective. How could she be so useless?

Piper was able to see that Alex's mind was flooded with irritating thoughts. She kissed the corner of Alex's mouth. "Are you with me?" She whispered millimeters from Alex's lips.

"Yeah." Alex smiled slightly. "Thank you for coming home so soon." She kissed the blonde back. It was a gentle kiss, full of emotion. For some reason both Alex and Piper felt the need to be close, as close as it was only possible. Life was so fragile.

"I'm here." Piper smiled gently.

Alex stared into her eyes for a while until a huge smile broke her face.

"What?" Piper was perplexed a bit but instead of answering Alex just kissed her again. "Whaat?" Piper mumbled between the kisses that followed. "What are you grinning about?" The blonde asked yet again because the detective's behavior was sort of weird.

Alex looked at her again but this time her expression was far more serious. She was completely sure of what she wanted. She wanted to spend every moment she could with Piper. She was the only person in that crazy world that made her feel calm, made her feel safe… Made her feel truly loved. "Let's move in together." She simply stated. It wasn't even a question. The proposal rolled off her tongue with ease.

Piper looked at her. Pure surprise painted all over her face and for a second Alex felt foolish. Of course that was too fast… "I mean… We don't have to do it right now. It's just an idea." She tried to laugh it off. She felt exposed and she didn't like it one bit. Just as she was about to go into all panic mode, she felt Piper squeeze her hands so she looked back up into the blue orbs that she adored so much.

"When do I bring my stuff?" Piper was smiling like a fool.

"Yesterday." Alex laughed as she felt the tension leaving her body. The choice of the apartment wasn't really a question. Both of them felt best in Alex's place even though it was much smaller than Piper's. Besides, it was important to the brunette. She had spend her best years in here and now that the younger girl was about to move in with her she would be finally able to call this place her home. Because home was anywhere Pieper was.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Positive." Alex stated confidently. Her smile made Piper's stomach somersault. It did that little trick every single time she could see her girlfriend beam at her like that.

They spent another hour or so just soaking their bodies in warm water and in the presence of each other's bodies. Simply talking about everything and nothing at all. Alex finally did tell Piper that she was out of work and that she would have to go through interrogations and that there was a possibility that they would even call Piper into questioning since she was involved with Alex. The blonde didn't mind. She would do anything to help Alex get through this.

By the time they hit the bed they were both exhausted so they drifted into the arms of Morpheus within seconds, their bodies never far from each other.

– – –

It was still dark when Alex woke up the next morning. She glimpsed at the alarm clock and when she saw that it was only 3 am she tried to get back to sleep but her restless mind would let her. After a few minutes of tossing and turning she decided to get up before she would wake Paper up. She slowly untangled herself from her lovely girlfriend and quietly tiptoed to the kitchen area to prepare some herbal tea for herself. Her mind was racing with thoughts. Not only about Sylvia and the approaching interrogation but Alex was also worried about the fact that Trish hadn't called her back. That was quite unusual for the young girl. Especially that Alex had left her at least ten messages after her meeting with Caputo.

She decided to busy her mind with something so she took one of her favorite books and went back to bed. She sat delicately next to the sleeping form of Piper. The blonde looked so peaceful and Alex couldn't help herself from reaching out and tugging some of the light tresses behind her girlfriend's ear. Piper leaned into her hand on instinct and it made Alex smile as the warm feeling spread through her body. She adored the younger woman more and more each day. Carefully, she withdrew her hand and turned her attention to the book she was holding. She tried reading but no matter how hard she was pushing herself to focus on the novel, her mind kept going back to the case of the strangler. She was slowly growing more and more agitated and she wished she had already had the interrogation off her shoulders so she could be back on the case. After another half an hour had passed Alex realized she wouldn't be able to read at all. Her stubborn brain was in overdrive again, analyzing any and every detail she could remember from the case, yet she wasn't able to think of anything that could move the case forward. She really needed to talk to Trish. She had probably tried to contact her because she had found out something and right now Alex could use some new information, she was sure of that.

"I can almost feel you thinking, Al." She heard Piper's quiet whisper. The blonde must have been observing her for a while now but Alex was to engulfed in her own thoughts to notice the blonde's eyes fluttering open.

"Why aren't you asleep, you creep." Alex lied down next to the blonde, their faces just inches apart.

"You creep? Where did that come from?" Piper chuckled.

"Has mommy never told you it's not nice to stare?"

"She might have… But it's a nice feeling to stare at you."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yep."

They were silent for a few minutes, just staring at each other. The room was quiet. The city was still asleep… At least their neighborhood was.

"How long have you been awake?" Piper asked.

"I don't know… Not so long." Alex lied and Piper could see that it was bullshit but decided not to press her. There was no use in making Alex even more stressed.

"I'm still a bit sleepy. Catch a wink with me, will you?" She smiled at the brunette.

"Okay." Alex whispered before taking Piper into her arms. The blonde snuggled close, burying her nose into the crook of Alex's neck and the detective couldn't help but smile a bit when a while later she could hear Piper's light snoring. After a few minutes her eyes grew heavy as well and she also dozed off.

– – –

When their alarm clock finally sprung to life it was after 8 o'clock. Piper didn't have classes that day so she decided to head back to her apartment and start packing her things. It would take a while for her to gather everything but she figured out that she could pack the most necessary things immediately and take them to Alex's even that evening.

"I'll put it up for rent. What do you think about it? It should bring us quite not bad cash."

"Sure."

"I'll take some of the things here tonight but the rest would have to wait for a later time. Maybe this weekend you could help me out a bit or I could ask Polly and Nicky."

"Mhm."

Piper eyed her girlfriend. The brunette's thoughts were clearly far, far away from there. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her sight empty.

"And I might adopt an elephant. It would look good here, don't you think?"

"Sure, Pipes…Wait a sec… What?" It finally got her and Piper laughed lightly as she approached her girlfriend.

"Everything will be fine." The blonde said as she hugged her. "We'll see each other after you're finished. Or… Are you really sure you don't want me to go with you?"

"I'm sure. As I told you before: I don't know how long it's gonna take. It can be a whole day. You know how those things can be. There's no sense for you to lose so much time. I'll just call you when I'm done."

"OK, but call me if you change your mind. I can be there in 15."

"Sure. Let's get going if you want me to drop you off at your place."

Alex was acting cool but she was growing more worried by the minute. Not because of the whole interrogation thing (she was sure she would be cleared quickly) but because of the lack of any answer from Tricia. She tried calling her after a short breakfast but yet again she couldn't reach the girl. In fact, this time she couldn't even leave her voicemail since the box appeared to be full. Alex made a promise to herself to go by Trish's mother's house on her way to Piper's flat after her issues with the police department were sorted out. It was probably nothing, but she wanted to make sure that everything was OK.

"Just to calm my stupid nerves down… It's nothing." She whispered to herself before leaving Piper's parking lot and heading down to the station. Yet, deep down in her gut the worry only kept growing and she truly wished she had been able to go straight to Tricia's place.


	16. Chapter 16

– 16 –

Alex entered the station with confidence. She was sure that there was nothing to worry about and this whole interrogation thing was just a simple formality that was required by the protocol. It would all be over very soon and she would be able to get back to the real work. She was pretty sure someone else would have to deal with Sylvia's case since it didn't seem connected to the strangler case that Alex was working. She was actually glad about that. She would keep tabs on her ex-girlfriend's case but she wasn't too happy to be the lead investigator in it. She'd rather spare herself the vision of the pictures of the crime scene and all the morbid details. They had used to be together after all…

"Hey, Alex! They're waiting for you in the interrogation room number 4." Bennet welcomed her being right to the point as usual.

"Thanks, man."

"Just get it over with and come back on the board." He high-fived her on her way to the interrogation room. It was good to see that most of her workmates were supporting here. She had known her team was strong but it was always building the morale knowing that they would stand beside her no matter what shitload she had to face. The only thing that Alex was wondering about was the fact that Stella was nowhere to be seen. She had assumed that her partner would have been at the station as well this morning. Guess she must have been wrong in her assumptions…

Her stream of thoughts was stopped by Caputo who called her in the room.

"Alex, these gentlemen are here to talk to you about the events of the last few days. Here are detectives Greg Howards and Samuel Johnatson."

They shook hands. Both of the detectives seemed to be in rather good moods so Alex's nerves calmed down, too.

"Alex, we know that you used to be involved with our victim." Stated one of them. He went straight to the point. Bennet would have liked him – Alex smiled to herself. "That was a good relationship I assume by your smile." The other cop started, more delicately.

"Well, it was for a while but then things changed and we broke up. I'm not gonna lie to you, guys. It didn't end that well but I'm truly sorry for what happened to her." Alex's voice quivered.

"Yeah, we've heard about the big fight the other day…" The first one stated sternly again.

"It's not exactly a secret. Half of the station must have heard us arguing."

"I wouldn't call it an argument actually. It was you who threatened her."

"I was angry about her behavior, that's all. I had never wished her any harm. Not for real."

"Oh really?" Alex's patience was wearing thin. The first guy was clearly after her and the brunette had enough of his bullshit.

"Listen, if I really had wanted to hurt her do you seriously think I would have threatened her in front of all these people and later murder her in such a public place as the fucking campus? Are you insane?" She raised her voice. "I am a cop after all. I would have known better." She finished sarcastically.

"Alex, please, calm down. Nobody thinks you've killed her. Just answer the questions and let's get over with it." It was Caputo's turn to speak.

"Ms. Vause, Sylvia wasn't killed at the campus. Her body was left there, but she was killed elsewhere."

"Oh." Was all that Alex could muster at the moment. "How was she killed?" The surprise was clear on her face.

"I'm afraid we can't tell you that yet… Where were you yesterday morning?"

"With my girlfriend at home."

"What were you doing?"

"Do you really wanna know that?" Alex raised her eyebrow with a smirk and the annoying detective cleared his throat, clearly being uncomfortable at his choice of the question, ant the other guy laughed openly, making Caputo chuckle a bit as well.

"Okay…" The guy cleared his throat again nervously. "Can she confirm that?"

"That she was with me or what we were doing?" Upon hearing the question the poor detective turned slightly more rosy on his cheeks and the other one started laughing again. Alex already liked the guy. He clearly had a better sense of humor than his older colleague. "Whatever information you need, detective, I can give you her phone number. Ask her yourself."

"OK, thank you."

"Are we done here? Can I finally come back to work? There's one sick motherfucker on the prowl, I'm fairly positive you've heard about him."

"We'll contact…" He looked at the note that Alex left him. "Ms. Chapman. When she confirms you were with her, you'll be cleared. Up until then, take a rest."

"When are you going to call her? Do it now." Alex was pissed that they would prolong her suspension to God knows when.

"Alex, that's enough." Caputo put his hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, gentlemen. I hope we can hear from you soon." He said turning to them.

When the two men left the room Alex was agitated. Hell, she was fuming. She found it hard to understand why the two assholes (one, actually) would let her investigation stall because of this whole bullshit. She was sure both of the men could clearly see that there was no point to keep her waiting. They could've called Piper right away, even ask her to come in and testify if that's what they were after. Alex had no time to waste. Knowing that the strangler was still roaming free and there was nothing she could do about it at the moment made Alex sick to her stomach.

"Joe… Please, don't tell me just go back home. You know as well as I know that I need to get back on this case. There's no time to waste."

Her boss and friend in one persona looked at her with a serious expression on his face.

"Al… You're not getting back at the case."

"I know! Can you make them push the papers faster?" Caputo just looked at her waiting until the message he had just delivered would sink into Alex's brain. It took her a moment… A long moment. "Wait… What the fuck do you mean I'm not getting back at the case?" When it finally did sink in, Alex's face turned even paler than it usually was. "Joe?" She demanded with stern voice.

"Al, I think you need to sit down for a bit." Yet, before she did as she had asked, he sat himself down at the chair next to Alex's. "C'mon." He tugged at her arm slightly so she finally gave up and sat down beside him.

"You scare me, Joe." He just looked at her. What the hell was wrong? Why did he have those puppy glassy eyes and why did he keep staring at her with such intensity? "Spill it. Why the hell am I not allowed back on the case?"

"Because leading investigators cannot have a direct connection to the victims."

"Do you think Sylvia was killed by our serial killer?" Alex was perplexed. "Was she strangled?"

"I'm not talking about her, Al."

"Oh for Christ sake just tell me already." Alex shouted at him.

"It's Tricia Miller." The silence that followed Caputo's statement was ringing in Alex's ears. She could feel her eyes being filled with tears and before she could manage to stop them from falling, there was a whole fucking flood of tears streaming down her cheeks.

"When?" She muttered through clenched jaw.

"We think yesterday. We're still waiting for the coroner's office report, though."

"I must work this case." She said. Her hands were shaking.

"You can't."

"But…"

"There's no 'but,' Alex… You cannot work this case. Any defender could smash it in court when we finally catch that motherfucker and you know that." Alex closed her eyes, making more tears trickle down her cheeks and she cleared them away angrily with her fists. Her eyeliner was long gone. "Stella is also out." He added.

"The fuck?" Alex raised her voice again. "Why?!"

"She's also connected to Tricia… Through you. Same story in the court." He looked at her apagogically. Alex understood where he was coming from and he was right. She had to finally admit that no matter how hard it was to accept.

"Where's Stella?"

"She was called to the crime scene today at dawn. She threw a tantrum. I had to make her go home."

"Fuck."

"Yeah… She's still young. Has a lot to learn. Maybe if she had been able to conceal her feelings better, I wouldn't have to take her off the case now… But what's done is done, Alex. Don't be mad at her."

"I'm not." She was rather sorry that Stella had to face the horrendous scene on her own. The woman also knew Trish pretty well. Liked her a lot in fact.

"Al, I'm so sorry…" He trailed off. "Listen, take a few days off as well. You need them. When you get back here, I'll give you a new case. Something to busy your mind." She looked at him, her sight full of anger and hurt. "We'll get that son of a bitch, I promise you." Caputo never promised anything and it proved that this time he really would do anything and everything to get that monster.

"OK." Alex whispered.

"Can you check on Stella?"

"Of course."

Caputo patter her back as he left her alone in a quiet white room.

– – –

The first thing that Alex did after walking out of the station was calling Stella who picked up immediately.

" _Meet me at the pub in half an hour."_ Was all that she stated. Stella would understand and she would be there…

– – –

It was late at night… or rather in the middle of it. Piper was growing restless and worried. She had tried calling Alex several times but each time there had been no answer. Alex had also not been in her own flat (Piper had checked). Stella's phone was also unavailable and it made Piper pissed. She had been hoping to hear from Alex's best friend but when her clock showed 2 am, Piper gave up all her hope to hear from the shorter brunette.

She was sitting in her living room staring blankly at the screen of her TV. She wasn't really watching it but she didn't want her apartment to be totally quiet. It made her feel uncomfortable now. As she was trying to watch another episode of some idiotic sitcom she heard the lock of her door being open. Alex had had the keys for the last few weeks but she had never used them so far.

"Al?" Piper stood up and started walking towards the door but the sight that welcomed her made her worry grow tenfold. Alex was hunched over Stella's shoulder. The tall brunette was clearly drunk out of her mind and even though Stella was still standing she wasn't in a much better state.

"What happened?" Piper had never seen Alex in such condition and she immediately grew even more worried, close to being panicky in fact. "Al? Baby what's wrong?" She asked as she cupped Alex's face in her palms, making her look up, but the brunette was totally out so Piper looked to Stella for answers.

"Trish is dead." She stated tiredly. She was clearly drunk but tried her hardest not to collapse.

"Oh God…" Piper was speechless. "Let's get her to the bedroom… Are you OK?" Piper asked Stella after a second.

"No." She deadpanned. "But I'll manage to help you get her to bed."

Stella helped Piper get Alex to the bedroom and left the room right after they lied her down on the big bed. Piper was hoping that the younger cop wouldn't go anywhere and just wait for her in the living room until she makes sure that Alex is comfortable enough to sleep calmly. After undressing her a bit, the blonde left a bucket next to the bed (just in case) and went to look for Stella.

She found the poor girl curled up on the sofa. She sleeping as a log so Piper decided to just take off her shoes and cover her with a fluffy blanket. She was planning to prepare the guest room for Stella but now she didn't really want to wake her. The smaller brunette looked as if she needed the sleep more than anyone so Piper decided to leave her in the living room.

She quietly returned to the bedroom and saw that Alex was gone but she could see the light coming from the en-suit bathroom. Piper entered the bathroom and saw her girlfriend hunched over the toiled bowl.

"Here." She whispered delicately as she gathered Alex's hair and stared doing slow circles on her back. After a short while Alex seemed to feel a bit better. At least she stopped puking like crazy and was now sitting next to the toilet with her head on Piper's knees. "Are you feeling any better now?" Alex only nodded to that. "Do you want to get back to bed?" Piper gently enquired. Another nod came so the blonde led her girlfriend back to the bedroom.

When they finally lied down together Piper gathered Alex in her arms.

"I'm sorry." The brunette whispered tiredly.

"Shhh… It's OK. I'm here." Piper could feel her trembling. Alex was crying again. "I'm here." That was all she could do now and she hoped that that would be enough eventually.


	17. Chapter 17

– 17 –

The next day Piper woke up early in the morning. She could feel the heat of the brunette's body since she was lying almost totally on top of her. Alex was clutching to her as if she was some lifeboat in the middle of rough sea. At least she was sleeping now and that fact pleased Piper greatly because most of the night her girlfriend was tossing and turning. It was quiet now and seemingly peaceful.

When Piper looked at her alarm clock she realized that indeed it was still pretty early, not even 7 o'clock yet, but she was nowhere near of falling asleep again. She decided to carefully slide out of bed and get some water and painkillers for Alex before the brunette woke up. Piper was sure her girlfriend would need them when she finally comes back to the land of living and awake. She must have consumed a tank of alcohol the previous night, Piper was sure of that, too. She knew that the detective had a very strong head and she hardly ever managed to get drunk. A little tipsy? Yes. Drunk? Nope. She preferred not to even think how much of whiskey must have been drunk by both her and Stella… And speaking of the second cop. Piper was also worried about her. Her couch wasn't exactly the most comfortable of beds. She needed to check up on her friend (yes, she became a good friend to her).

Slowly, she moved Alex's body from her own. Thankfully, she didn't protest and continued her slumber, hugging the pillow instead of Piper. The blonde could have thought that her girlfriend looked cute at that moment but the deep shades under her eyes and furrowed brows clearly indicated how truly exhausted she must have been. That definitely did not please the younger woman. After placing a soft kiss on Alex temple, Piper left the room quietly.

Stella was sprawled out on her couch, the blanket pulled up to her chin. She also looked rather miserable. Her shirt was lying on the floor next to the sofa. She must have taken it off sometime during the night. Probably she was hot but now, judging by the blanket twisted tightly around her, the petite brunette suffered from the chilly temperature of Piper's apartment.

Piper grabbed a bottle of cold water and some painkillers and left them on the nightstand next to Alex. The woman was still asleep and that was a good thing. She should gather all the energy for the upcoming day. It wouldn't be easy for sure. Piper decided to actually skip classes and stay with Alex, just in case she needed anything. Nicky was supposed to drop by on her way to the campus and bring them some groceries a bit later in the morning. Piper didn't want to leave the apartment herself. She'd rather be there when Alex woke up.

After making sure that her girlfriend had everything she needed, Piper shut the blinds in the bedroom to allow Alex to sleep a little longer without any disturbance and headed to her wardrobe. She decided to get some clothes for Stella to wear when she woke up. A nice shower and clean warm sweatshirt could help the girl feel a bit better, at least Piper hoped so. She was sure Stella would be facing a severe case of hangover pretty soon. And her suspicion proved to be right. Piper realized that the moment she got back to her living room. She found Stella sitting on her couch, still wrapped in the blanket, her head in her hands, leaning forward as if she were to collapse any moment.

"Are you OK?" She asked worriedly.

Stella mumbled something not even bothering to lift her head.

"What?" Pieper touched her shoulder lightly but the brunette still did not move.

"I think I'm dying." She finally said loud enough for Piper to hear.

"I'll get you some water and something for the headache. Maybe you should go and take a shower. I left you some clean clothes in the guest bathroom. That should make you feel a bit better, I think."

"Thanks." She smiled a bit when she finally lifted her head and Piper went to the kitchen area to bring the promised life-saving items. When she turned around after retrieving the water from the fridge, she was faced with a picture of Stella wearing only her tight jeans and bra. Piper grinned at her.

"Maybe you should put something on yourself." Upon hearing that Stella threw her a confused look. "I think you might have lost your shirt somewhere, lady. Not that I mind that much but it would be kinda awkward if Alex walked in here right now." Stella looked down at herself and laughed.

"Sorry about that. I was hot. I forgot about it." She smiled as she started to throw her shirt back on.

"That's OK. Here're your painkillers. Should work pretty fast." Piper smiled back at her as she passed her the pills and a glass of water. Stella thanked her once again and left to take that shower that she actually needed so much.

– – –

When Stella came back to the living room, Nicky was already there, together with a whole huge bag of food. Both her and Piper were slowly putting everything away.

"Are you planning on feeding a whole army?" Stella asked, making both of the girls turn around.

"Nah, just two hangovered cops. Good breakfast is a basic basis when one wants to come back to the land of living, my friend." Nicky clapped her back as she jumped down on the couch and turned on the TV. Stella soon followed her suit. She was too exhausted to do anything else except flipping the channels.

On the other hand, Piper felt like she needed to busy herself with something so she started on the breakfast that she had promised to her friends. Hopefully Alex would be up just in time to join them. God knew she probably could use some nutritious food as well. Right as she started to think about the tall brunette, all of them heard a loud thud coming from Piper's bedroom, followed by a muffled 'fuck.'

"Vause? You're OK in there?" Nicky shouted loud enough for Alex to hear her in the other room but all the result she got was being nudged in the ribs by Stella, who obviously didn't appreciate the loud call out.

"Jeeze… Shut the fuck up, Nichols. My head is about to explode." Stella whined, making both Piper and Nicky chuckle.

"I'll check on her. Nicky, can you, please, finish the breakfast? Just don't burn anything." The blonde winked at her best friend.

"As far as I'm aware, you're the queen of burning everything down." Nicky shot right back but Piper just ignored her stingy comment. She was too concerned about her girlfriend at the moment. She could get her hairy friend for that later.

She slowly entered her bedroom, only to find her bed empty and Alex was nowhere to be seen. This confused Piper since the bathroom door was open and it was dark inside, so for sure the detective couldn't have been there. And then… She noticed the big window slightly ajar. It was opening to Piper's huge balcony but it was clearly not designed to be used as a door. Piper walked up to it tentatively. She didn't want to startle her girlfriend.

"Al? Are you here?" She asked as she opened the window wider. When she looked out she noticed the brunette sitting on the floor of her terrace. She was wrapped in a huge fluffy blanket and was smoking a cigarette. Piper got through the window and sat next to Alex.

"Busted." The detective whispered without looking at the blonde.

"Busted indeed." Piper leaned her head on Alex's shoulder. The brunette had promised her to quit smoking a while ago and she had kept her promise… up until now. But the circumstances were extreme and Piper wasn't about to make it a big deal. "How are you?" She asked gently instead.

"Surprisingly OK. Thanks for the water." Alex kissed Piper's forehead.

"No problem."

They were just sitting quietly there for a while, Alex smoking her second cigarette of the morning and Piper just observing the city that was slowly waking up after a rather chilly night.

"Aren't you cold?" Piper was concerned. She didn't want Alex to be ill right now. That was the last thing they needed in all of the mess that they had found themselves in. But Ales didn't seem to register her question at all.

"Tricia's mother texted me. She wants to see me today." She stated instead.

"Okay… Do you want me to go with you?"

"No."

"Okay." Piper looked at her. She wasn't drunk anymore but she definitely still looked tired. "C'mon. Let's take a shower and head back to the girls for breakfast. Nicky's cooking today and for some reason I don't want to leave her alone in my kitchen for too long." This finally got Alex chuckling lightly.

"Your kitchen will be fine." The brunette looked at her with obvious amusement in her eyes.

"I wouldn't be so sure."

"It did survive you, didn't it." Piper laughed heartily at that which in turn made Alex feel all warm inside. God, how she loved that laugh. The blonde was the only person in the whole wide world to make her feel that good, no matter the circumstances.

Alex stubbed the cigarette out and got up pulling Piper with her. "You're right. I need a shower. How did you manage to put up with me the whole night? I literally stink… and ooze of whiskey." She cringed her nose making Piper chuckle.

"Well, I do love you, you dork. For better and for worse." The blonde winked at her before heading back to the bedroom.

"For better and for worse? I don't remember marrying you… Or wait… Did we get married last night?" Alex faked sheer horror in her voice and Piper chuckled some more. When the brunette was back in the bedroom as well, Piper turned around and hugged the ragged looking woman.

"No, we didn't." Kiss on the nose. "And you don't have to marry me to make me stick around." Piper smiled.

"Speaking of sticky… I really DO need that shower."

"Yep. C'mon… I'll wash your back."

– – –

 _2 hours later_

Alex and Stella were sitting in Piper's car. The blonde had lent them her four wheels since they didn't have their own an Piper's place. On the way to Tricia's mother's house they dropped Nicky and Piper off at the campus. The cops had finally managed to persuade the two girls to go to classes that day. There was no reason for them to lose lessons, especially that the exams that awaited them that semester were particularly hard.

"Nice sweatshirt, by the way." Alex chuckled at Stella. "Didn't expect you to look that good in pink."

"Fuck off, Vause." the shorter woman grumbled. "It's Piper's."

"Well, you both look cute in pink, then." And she got a shove in the ribs for that one.

"I am not cute."

"Sure… Barbie." Another shove.

After a few minutes of such banter the two of them calmed down. It was clear that Alex was just trying to take her mind off of the thing she was about to do next. She wasn't too keen on facing Tricia's mother right now. Yet, she knew she had to go. Out of respect to her late friend and out of the responsibility for her friend. It did weight heavily on her shoulders.

"Stop it." Stella stated calmly upon looking at Alex's focused face. The tall brunette was looking at the big house nearby.

"Stop what?"

"The guilty game."

"I'm not into that."

"Sure… Whatever. Just stop, OK?" Stella held Alex's burning gaze. "Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?"

"Positive. I need to do this alone." She let out a shaky breath. "You better go to the station. Try to find out as much as you can about Tricia's case."

"You're not the leading investigator anymore…"

"I know!" Alex raised her voice before she managed to calm down again. "I know… But I rather fucking die than just back off like that. Of course someone else is going to lead the investigation now, I get it. But we're gonna do some research on our own." She looked at Stella sheepishly. "I mean. I'm going to do. You don't have to get involved. It's OK."

"Are you fucking with me? Sure I'm in." Stella stopped Alex from saying anymore bullshit. "I'll try to find out as much as I can. Call me when you're done here."

"OK."

Alex got out of the car and walked up the steps leading to the house. She pressed the doorbell tentatively and braced herself for the wrath of the older Miller but what welcomed her when the door finally opened was the warm embrace of the woman's arms.

"Alex, thank you so much for coming here." The older woman stated with a shaky voice. She was obviously distraught, clearly must have been crying a lot since her eyes were red and puffy. She looked much older than the last time Alex had seen her. She seemed fragile and little.

The woman led Alex further into the house and the living room where she was met with other family members. That Alex didn't really expect to have to face but yet again she was surprised with the warm embraces. After having a short conversation with her family members, Tricia's mother turned to Alex.

"Can we talk in private?" She surprised the cop.

"Of course."

They went to the study and the older woman closed the door behind them. There were a few things she needed Alex to know and she wasn't sure if it was OK for anyone else to hear them yet.

"Trish was home most of the day yesterday." She started and immediately caught Alex's attention. "She said that she really needed to talk to you but she couldn't reach you, Alex."

"I know." Alex's jaw clenched. She could feel anger boiling in her veins. She should have called her back immediately. Hell, she should have leave that joke of a meeting with those two assholes from internal affairs. "I called her back but she wouldn't answer." She whispered. Tricia's mother didn't comment on that.

"She said she had something important for you. She told me some name…" Alex's interested picked up again and Tricia's mother, upon seeing the spark in the brunette's eyes, added immediately "but I don't remember it, I'm afraid. I'm sorry." Alex swallowed hard.

"Do you remember anything else about that person? Did Trish mention anything? Was it a man or a woman?" Her detective was on but she stopped herself from asking any more questions. Now wasn't the best time probably. "I'm sorry… We can talk about it later…"

"No, it's OK. I don't remember the name she used but I do remember it was about some man, not a woman. Tricia kept calling him 'a dick' and I scolded her several times for using such language in this house." The woman smiled sadly as her eyes shone with tears again. "She laughed at me, saying I didn't get it… I thought you should know… Maybe you can figure out who she was talking about."

"A cop." Alex's face was white as a sheet of paper and it alarmed the older woman.

"Alex, are you OK?"

"A dick is a cop… She was talking about a police officer." Alex whispered with disbelief.


	18. Chapter 18

– 18 –

[Alex to Stella] 14:22

 _Come and get me ASAP_

[Stella to Alex] 14:24

 _What's going on? I'm on my way._

Alex didn't bother to answer Stella's text. She would tell her everything when her partner got there. This type of conversation wasn't meant for a mobile chat. It was too serious and Alex really didn't want anyone else to know about what she had found out just a second ago. The brunette told Tricia's mother to be careful and not to talk to anyone about what she had told her. Alex herself would make sure that the right people knew about 'the cop lead'.

After a short while Stella let her know that she was waiting outside and Alex rushed to meet her friend. Her head was still buzzing with the new information. It excited her but scared her as well. She knew personally everyone at the station. These were co-workers, advisors, mentors… and friends. Her mind was on overdrive when she got into the car. Her face still white and her hands still shaking visibly.

"The fuck, Vause?" Stella was immediately alerted when she saw her partner. Something was up and Stella had the feeling that she wouldn't like it.

"It's a fucking cop."

"Who?"

"The strangler."

Stella just stared at her in disbelief.

"I'm sorry for repeating myself but… the fuck, Vause?" Her eyes only grew bigger by the second. "How do you know? Who told you? When? Tricia's mom?"

"Tricia was trying to contact me the whole day but she couldn't reach me because I was at that fucking meeting concerning Sylvie… When I called back, she wouldn't answer because…" – _she was already dead or about to die_ – Alex pushed that thought from herself. "And then it was too late. She… She told her mom about some of it. Ms. Miller doesn't remember the name, but she said Trish called that asshole 'a dick' over and over again."

"Shit…"

"Yeah… And now she's fucking dead. He must have been onto her. He must have known that she knew." Alex was talking faster and faster. It finally hit her. Tricia was dead because she was snooping. Tricia was snooping because Alex asked her for it. The brunette's eyes glazed over.

"Wow… Wait, you don't know that." Stella put her hand on Alex's forearm to make the tall woman look her in the eye. "Don't go that way, Alex." Alex bit her lower lip. "It's a dark alley… It won't lead you anywhere, okay?"

"I know. Okay." Alex whispered but she didn't seem persuaded. Her mind had its own paths.

"Where to?" Stella asked in order to change the topic of their conversation.

"I need to talk to Caputo. Don't tell about this thing to anyone. As far as I'm concerned only you, him and me know about it. And of course Ms. Miller but she will keep her mouth shut, too."

"OK."

– – –

"Are you sure about this?" Caputo's face was a pure picture of shock. Him, Alex and Stella had been talking about this for over an hour now and he still didn't seem fully persuaded. It was always difficult to believe that one of your own could be such a hideous creature. Ales understood that but she was slowly growing impatient with her boss and a friend in one persona.

"Would I have told you about this if I weren't sure?" She stared at him. No, she glared at him, right in the eye.

"Okay… Let's assume you're right. You're still not getting this case back. I can't give it to you and you know that damn well so…"

"I don't want you to. I know that you can't" Alex butt in. "All I'm asking is to maybe push Bennet a bit. He's green as they go, by the way. How could you give this case to him?" The brunette couldn't contain her disagreement on the choice of her replacement. "Don't get me wrong. He's a good guy… But seriously? Him?" She huffed but Stella only grinned. "What?" Alex looked at her with annoyance.

"You tell her or should I have the pleasure, boss?" The shorter woman smiled at Caputo.

"Tell me about what?"

"Alex, I chose Bennet _**because**_ he's green as they go. It's easier to control his investigation…" Caputo stated, his lips quirking a bit upwards as he failed to conceal his smirk and Alex's eyes lightened up.

"You mean…?"

"What I mean is it's his investigation, alright. But…"

"But you'll easily deal with this case yourself… just by his hands." Alex laughed tiredly. "Joe, you're a genius." Caputo smiled at Alex for that.

"Yep. And I should keep you busy with other things so there's no inclination whatsoever by whoever that you might still be working this case." He handed her a fat file of documents. "And I believe this should keep you pretty busy, indeed."

Alex looked at the heavy load in her lap. _Breaking and entering, case no 3210_.

"A fucking robbery? Are you serious?" Alex's anger had risen again.

"First of all, watch your language. I'm still your boss, after all. And second of all, I thought you were smarter, really." He looked at her with amusement. "You're losing your sharpness, milady."

In the meantime Stella stared going through the papers and when she noticed the address written in one of the documents, she started to laugh.

"What's so funny? You think I'm losing it, too?" Alex poked her friend in the ribs evoking just another series of giggles.

"You're losing it, crazy woman, indeed. Take a look." She pointed to the address while glancing at Caputo who was just sitting there smiling.

"245 Ridgewod Rd… That's the same neighborhood…"

"…as The Glam, yep." Caputo grinned even wider. "Now. Be careful, you two. I mean it. You're gonna get down to this case… and maybe ask a few questions extra while interrogating the neighbors about the robbery. Maybe somebody has seen something or someone suspicious. People are usually more willing to talk to the cops when they're dealing with lesser crimes. Speak murder and they run, especially when only gay people are in trouble, tell them they can be robbed, too - they might talk."

"Have I told you you're a genius?" Alex grinned.

"Yep, this day should be marked in some calendar."

"Can we start straight away?" Stella asked while standing up. She was ready to hit the streets. The sooner they got to do their job, the sooner the strangler would be caught. She really hoped they could do that before he hurt another person. It had already been too many.

"Stop. Just take this day off." Caputo stated and the girls started to protest but he lifted his hand to silence them down. "I can see you're both dead tired. I don't think that hangover is gone yet." Both of them looked guilty. "That's OK. I get it. Be here tomorrow morning, well rested and really ready to work, with sharp minds, not those foggy versions of it."

"OK. Just keep in mind what we told you about the strangler case. I think Tricia was onto something."

"Of course I'll keep this information in mind. And to my mind only, for now."

– – –

Alex ended up being at Piper's apartment much earlier that she had planned. She had told the blonde that she probably wouldn't be home before 9 pm but that had been a lie. She knew that Piper must have gone to the library with Polly and Nicky. They had been working on some project and Alex knew it would do good to the three if for a moment they could focus on a normal student life, not some morbid crimes and Alex's dramas. Recently, Alex had the feeling that all of Piper's world revolved around the police and Alex's problems and she didn't think that was fair for her girlfriend. She was still young and full of energy and she should be able to focus on her normal life instead of dwelling in the world of darkness usually occupied by Alex and Alex only.

The brunette decided that since she had almost a whole day off, she would make it up to her girl. She decided to cook some nice dinner and make the whole evening about her this time. Besides it feeling the right thing to do, it also made Alex's mood pick up. Busying herself with the grocery shopping, tidying and cooking forced her to forget about the reality she had to face soon. That reality could wait till tomorrow, she reasoned. Tonight she just wanted to be with her love.

"Life is just so fuck fragile." She whispered to herself as she felt her lower lip tremble gain and she wiped the tears away from the corners of her eyes angrily. She really didn't want to fall apart again. "Just focus, you idiot." She scolded herself as she turned back to cutting the vegetables.

"Who are you calling an idiot?" Alex jumped almost out of her skin as Piper's voice startled her. She hadn't heard her girlfriend coming in. She had been lost in her own world of thoughts. She felt the blonde wrapping her hand around her waist before she could turn around and she felt her lips placing a sweet kiss at her nape. "Hi, baby."

"Hi."She whispered back. "You scared me."

"Sorry, didn't mean to." Piper peered over her shoulders. "Mmm… Smells great."

"You hungry?" Alex pushed Piper slightly away to put the veggies in the salad then turned around to finally get her hands on the blonde. She kissed her thoroughly.

"Mmm… What was that for?" Piper asked a little dreamy which made Alex chuckle deep in her chest. Despite the months that had passed by she could see that she still had that effect on her girlfriend – the ability to take her breath away with just one kiss – and she loved Piper's responsiveness to her. Besides, the blonde could also read her like an open book. She loved that about Piper as well.

"For you just being you." She smiled down at the blonde and the shorter girl threw her that radiant smile that made Alex's heart melt each and every damn time. "Now, let's just eat and relax, shall we?"

"And relax?" Piper wiggled her brows. She was delighted that Alex's mood seemed to be a bit better tonight. She hated the fact that the brunette had to face so many problems recently.

Alex laughed at Piper's playfulness. "Yep, and relax, Pipes." She kissed the tip of her nose.

They took their food to the couch. It was their favorite place in the apartment to hang out anyways. Most of their meals and parties ended up on that specific couch in front of the big TV. Piper had actually never used her big dining room. If it hadn't been right next to the 'cool area,' as her and her friends preferred to call it, she would have forgotten it's in the apartment at all.

"Why we never use the table?" Alex asked finally after putting her empty plate next to Piper's on the coffee table in front of her. She was now sitting comfortably with the blonde cuddled to her side.

"For what?" Piper quipped looking up at her partner.

"For dinners." Alex chuckled. "But I like where your mind is going?" Piper blushed at that crimson red.

"I didn't meant THAT. I've just meant that there was no occasion to really throw a big dinner." Piper laughed lightly, beautiful shade of rose still present on her cheeks. She hugged the brunette next to her a little bit tighter. "Are you sure you want me to move in with you?"

"Positive… Unless you want to stay here? I could move, too, you know." Alex added. She really didn't want to move out of her own small apartment but on the other hand if Piper wanted her to move to this posh loft, she would have done anything for her. She would just have to make sure that there's space for her favorite bookshelf that she had got from her mother, and her guitar, and her guitar gear, and the records, and…

"You're cute." She heard Piper state sweetly as she continued to look up at her.

"Cute?" She smiled down at the blonde.

"You really wouldn't like to leave your comfy apartment… Yet I've got the feeling you would've done it anyway."

"Oh yeah? Why?"

"Because I'm even cuter than you and you can't resist me." The blonde grinned like the Cheshire cat and Alex just had to laugh at that, her voice full of merit despite her overall feeling of sadness lurking somewhere at the back of her mind. Piper could really make her feel better without any effort. "But don't worry bae, I'll save you from the trouble." The younger woman moved up to capture Alex's lips with her own. "Besides, all I have to move are my clothes and books. We'll add some bookshelves in your apartment and we're good." She smiled at the brunette.

"Yeah, well. I would have transported the same stuff so…"

"Bullshit, Al." Piper laughed and Alex looked at her with surprise shining in her eyes. "You think I'm blind or something? I think that moving you here would actually take much longer. We'd have to take all those records, and your guitars, AND all that funny equipment with all its cables, AND your clothes, AND…"

"OK, I get it." Alex blushed a little.

"It's sweet." Piper beamed at her. "And I love your place." She kissed her.

"Our place." Alex grinned.

"Yeah, our place." The blonde grinned back. "Do you think I could throw a farewell party here?"

"A farewell party?"

"Yeah… People have a house-warming parties. Believe it or not, having the sort of best friends that I do, I've never had that… So I think I owe them the farewell party. What do you think?" Piper wondered out loud while looking around her place. Yeah, a good party is not a bad idea. After she had moved to Alex's… their place, she should say a little good-bye to her neighbors.

"I think I want a party now." Alex chuckled as she started to nibble at Piper's ear, making the younger woman squirm in her lap and take a few deeper breaths. She knew what got her girlfriend going. "And I want it to be a party of two. What do you think?" She asked as her lips travelled to Piper's neck, sucking here and there as she continued her way down.

"I think… I like where your mind is going." Piper smiled to herself but soon she laughed out loud as Alex lifted her up with ease and stared walking in a totally different direction than the bedroom was. It still managed to surprise the blonde how really strong her girlfriend was. Nice abdomen and arm muscles should have indicated that all the time, but thanks to overall Alex's gentleness, Piper tended to forget that her partner was in fact an athletic killing machine, well trained and ripped. It only made her so much hotter for the brunette. She was longing her touch.

"Al, baby, where are we going?" She was confusedly between kisses.

"To a party table." Alex chuckled. "Ready to have some fun?" She asked as she delicately put Piper on the cold dinner table and the blonde gasped at the touch since Alex brought her skirt all the way up to her hips. Her hands were still massaging the soft flesh there and Piper could feel the fire starting to burn at the pit of her stomach.

"Yes." She whispered breathlessly into Alex's hair.

The brunette was already working on the buttons of Piper's shirt, trying to get rid of the garment as fast as she could. She needed to feel Piper's flesh under her fingertips. She needed to feel all of her girlfriend. She didn't waste much time on the bra, which joined the shirt on the floor in few seconds. Piper gasped when she felt Alex's hands make contact with her breasts, her nipples were already standing in their full pride.

"Yes, Al…" She couldn't contain her moans when the brunette took the first stiff bud into her mouth and sucked on it lightly, biting gently before soothing it with her tongue. At the same time her right hand was working on the other mound while her left hand travelled to Piper's panties, brushing lightly against the material. The blonde's hips buckled hard.

"You're so wet. Oh God, Pipes…" Alex whispered hotly. She was getting more and more bothered herself but she refused to think about her own needs until she felt Pipers swift fingers unbutton her jeans and sliding them down her thighs. She kicked the offending piece of clothing off and her and Piper's panties soon piled up on the floor as well.

"Come'ere." Piper brought their lips back together in a deep kiss just as she put her thighs further apart making Alex cling to her even closer. The brunette could feel Piper's wet soft hair on her own abdomen and she couldn't help the moan that escaped her lips. She was losing herself in the blonde and she loved every second of it. She couldn't wait any longer and right as she was kissing her girlfriend thoroughly she slid two of her fingers into her tight opening. She was embraced with a radiant pulsing heat of something that was purely Piper, her Piper. She slowly stared pumping in and out of her girlfriend as she sucked at her pulse point.

"Oh, Alex… Right there." Piper's shaky voice lead her on as she kept brushing her fingertips against that special place of the front wall over and over again while her thumb played with Piper's little bundle of nerves. Alex could feel the blonde starting to shake, her walls starting to clamp more possessively on her fingers. She knew her girlfriend was close and she was more than willing to bring her over the edge. The raven-haired woman kissed Piper with all she had as she continued her ministrations, gaining up in speed and force, and before she knew it the blonde was flying, moaning Alex's name over and over again like a prayer, her hips shaking on their own, fingers clutching for Alex, sure to leave some bloody marks but the brunette didn't give a single damn about that. She felt good, she felt alive, and she needed more of that tonight. She needed more of Piper, she needed more of the brightness, the happiness, the LIFE.

She continued pumping her fingers in and out of the blonde, picking up in speed again when she felt her girlfriend relax a bit.

"Al… Oh God… I don't think…" Piper tried to speak up but she was stopped in her tracks when Alex's thumb came back to its place on her clit, making agonizingly slow motions over it, making the blonde crazy.

"Then don't think." Alex almost pleaded before biting Pieper's neck and shooting the place with kisses and her tongue. Her fingers were unforgiving, stroke after stroke bringing the blonde to her second orgasm, which Piper knew would be earth-shattering. She'd never had two of those in such close proximity. The hot ball glowing in the pit of her stomach stared to grow rapidly and before Piper knew it, she was over the edge again, her body shaking uncontrollably with a force she had never felt before. She might have been out for a second or two afterwards because the next thing she remembered was lying on top of Alex in the bedroom. Her body clinging to the brunette as if she was her life savior. The detective was stroking her damp hair lovingly while her other hand was making slow circles on her back. They were covered with a thin blanket, just enough to keep them warm, not overheated. That's when Alex felt Piper stir slightly.

"Are you okay?" She whispered quietly into her hair and Piper just nodded dreamily. "I'm sorry." This made the blonde lift her head up rapidly, pure confusion painting her pretty face.

"Sorry? For what?" She searched Alex's eyes, worried.

"You wanted me to stop and… I just…" The older woman was lost for words, feeling foolish and guilty. Of what? She even didn't really know how to put it.

"Hey…" Piper lifted her chin so she could look into her eyes. "I loved it." She kissed the brunette gently. "I love you." Another kiss. "And I trust you. Completely. Do you understand?" Alex just nodded. "I asked: do you understand?" Piper's voice was demanding even though it was still a little bit shaky.

"Yeah." Alex whispered finally, which made Piper smile that radiant smile of hers… with a little glint of mischief. Alex's heart swelled and jumped at the same time… Even she herself didn't know how that trick was even possible.

"Do you love me?" Piper demanded again.

"God, yes." Alex answered truthfully. She felt Piper's fingers trace down her ribcage, avoiding her breasts altogether. The brunette's rosy nipples had risen to their full glory by now and they were begging for Piper's attention.

"Do you trust me?" Piper whispered right into Alex's ear as she mercifully brushed her own breasts against the brunette's, making her voice quiver with emotion and need.

"Yesss…" She managed to hiss. She felt as if her whole body was wired. Piper's every touch made her squirm in pleasure. Every time Piper took such strong initiative, left Alex breathless and craving for more. No one had ever made the brunette so riled up just in seconds. Only Piper.

"Only you." Alex whispered as she locked her eyes with the blue orbs… which were now totally dark, driven with lust.

"Then let me take care of you, Al. Let me love you." With that Piper lowered her head to where Alex needed her the most, making the brunette fly over the edge… way more than once, up until she literally begged her to stop. And Alex felt alive, and loved, and safe. All because of her little blonde. Her life savior. Her everything.


	19. Chapter 19

– 19 –

Even though the blonde had exhausted her completely (to say the least), Alex woke up before the dawn. In fact, she felt a little sore here and there but she didn't mind it one bit. Instead of being uncomfortable it made her body temperature rise gradually.

"Oh God, Pipes… What the hell have you done to me?" She whispered to herself in amusement as she looked down at her girlfriend's still unconscious form lying right where she had fallen asleep, namely almost on top of Alex, and the brunette smiled to herself even more. Slowly, she was getting hotter and hotter… literally. She needed some space or even a shower. Yet, once she moved a bit further form Piper, the blonde would move with her, almost on reflex, still clinging to Alex as if her life depended on it. After several attempts of setting herself free (which turned to be totally unsuccessful), Alex was left there lying and chuckling to herself. She absentmindedly started to caress Piper's back softly with the tips of her fingers. Not five minutes had passed by when she heard the blonde giggle quietly, her head still buried in the crook of Alex's neck.

"Baby, are you awake?" She whispered softly, full blast smile plastered to her face, but instead of answering, Piper just placed a soft kiss on Alex's pulse point and the brunette felt a little coil starting to heat up in the pit of her stomach. _"God… Again? The fuck is wrong with me? I think she might have broken something in me."_ Alex thought as she continued to chuckle at her own reactions. She felt Piper's hand travelling down her abdomen and when she thought her girlfriend would go straight for the prize, as she did a couple of times that night, the blonde's fingertips managed to just graze Alex's pubic hair lightly before they continued their path down. Piper caressed her thighs with such loving intensity that it made Alex's voice hitch in her throat. The brunette was growing wetter by the second and Piper was fully aware of that judging by the blonde's chuckling as she finally moved her head down to capture one of Alex's nipples with her lips.

"Pipes…" Was all that she managed to whisper before turning to pure mush. Piper's hands were using their magic on her and Alex was sure that her blond beauty won't stop her ministrations until she had her squirming and begging for mercy… Another new thing in her life, actually. Alex had never been in the position to beg before, to be so out of her mind.

Right as the temperature seemed to be rising in the bedroom, the detective heard her cell vibrate on the nightstand. "Pipes…" She tried delicately to stop her girlfriend's actions but she only managed to evoke another giggle from the blonde. After Alex heard the phone vibrate again, she grabbed Piper's hand, kissed it and pulled her closer to her own face. "I probably should get that." She whispered after placing a light peck on Piper's lips. She reached out for the phone.

" _Vause."_

" _We've got the autopsy report. It's a fucking miracle, Alex. Your girl was a fighter."_ She could hear Caputo's excited voice over the phone.

" _What do you mean? What's in the report?"_ Alex glanced at the alarm clock. It was extremely early in the morning and she was surprised to find out that her boss was still at work. Had he had any sleep that night at all?

" _She fucking scratched him."_ She heard Caputo's excited voice.

" _Oh shit."_ The brunette's lips turned upwards even though her eyes became glassy. She remembered their very old conversation, when Alex told Tricia that if she had ever been attacked, she should do everything and anything to help the investigators catch the perpetrator, scrape him, bite him, do whatever needs to be done to get his or her DNA on her. When Alex met Tricia, the girl used to hang out with really dangerous and unpredictable people, hence the whole conversation.

" _Yeah, oh shit."_ Caputo laughed. _"Smart girl."_ And Alex smiled at that through tears. Piper was observing the whole conversation and she was growing more and more worried about her girlfriend. She didn't like the teary eyes at all. Something must have happened but Alex was actually smiling… This left Piper all confused.

" _I'll get to the station as fast as I can. I'll call Carlin."_

" _No, I've got this. I'll ask the forensic guys to run the DNA results through all the data we've got, police officers included."_

" _But…"_ Alex seemed agitated.

" _No 'buts' this time. I told you… I've got this. Take Carlin and go sniffing around The Glam. You'll help more that way. Maybe you'll solve that robbery shit by occasion."_ The man laughed again. He was obviously relieved that the police appeared to finally have something solid in the case of the strangler.

Alex put the phone on the nightstand and when she turned back to Piper she was met with an expecting gaze.

"They've got DNA." The brunette stated simply as she laid back on the pillow. She was looking at the ceiling, being distant, lost in her thoughts.

"That's a good thing, right?" Piper tried lightly. She didn't want to push Alex to talk if she didn't want to.

"That's a fucking marvelous thing, kid." Alex smiled through tears. She wiped them away as quickly as they appeared and got up from the bed. "I'm sorry, baby. I need to call Stella, grab a shower and head to the station. I need to read the reports and then question potential witnesses in my case. Maybe somebody saw something more than they think they saw." She was already going through the drawers. She knew there had to be her fresh underwear somewhere.

"Left top drawer." Piper said calmly from the bed. Alex grabbed whatever she needed and started for the bathroom but stopped in her tracks suddenly and looked at the blonde. She walked up to the bed and kneeled next to it, putting her face close to her girlfriend's. She smiled at her and when Piper returned the grin, Alex kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Pack your stuff. I'll help you later, OK?" Piper just nodded. She knew that both Nicky and Polly were out of question this time. Nicky was visiting her mother out of town and Polly didn't have a car. She would help her pack but that would be it.

"OK." The blonde whispered. "Go catch the bad guys." She smiled.

"OK." Alex kissed her nose. "And the next night we're spending at our place." She grinned.

"Yup."

"Yup." Another grin. Alex couldn't believe that it was happening. The asshole womanizer, Alex Vause, was moving in with her girlfriend. Hell must have frozen. The end of the world was coming. She grinned again before rushing to the bathroom and leaving the blonde to catch some more sleep.

– – –

"God, I wasn't aware I had so many things." Piper whined as she continued to pack her books into big boxes. She was originally planning to only take a few of them but as the time had passed by she had realized that she wanted all of them with her at Alex's place. "We're going to have many more bookshelves installed."

"Don't grumble, Pipe. Alex's gonna love it. She's a bookworm herself and you've always dreamt about having all the walls covered in books. Now's your chance to have such an apartment… Or room." Polly smirked and Piper huffed. "I still don't understand why you two won't live in here. It's so much more comfortable." The brunette said as she dropped her body onto the huge couch that occupied most of the living room area.

"Well… Here's more tiding up." Piper smirked. "And I really love being at Alex's. She seems to be more relaxed there, too. I can rent this place, get some cash."

"Well… If you say so." Polly still sounded unconvinced.

Piper looked at her tentatively. "Remember that time when you were trying to talk me into going into that soap business with you?"

"Yeah?"

"Well… I might want to give it a try."

"Really?" Polly lighted up like a Christmas tree at first but then her features grew more serious and suspicious. "Why?" She asked as she narrowed her eyes at Piper.

"What do you mean why?" Piper tried to play it cool, failing miserably.

"You said that you weren't interested in anything serious now. That starting a business would be too much right now and that you're not ready for that. That all you wanted now was to have fun and enjoy 'the moment.'" Polly did the inverted commas gesture with her fingers, her face showing annoyance at the term and Piper felt the uneasiness growing in her stomach.

"Well… I grew up since then, apparently." She tried to bring the whole conversation on the right track.

"That was last Thursday, Piper." Polly punctured coldly and Piper winced.

"I have the tendency to mature fast?" The blonde tried again, her voice hitting higher notes this time.

"What happened?" Polly's features softened as she made Piper sit down next to her.

"Carol cut me off. Completely." The blonde blurred out with defeat painting her features and Polly was simply unable to conceal her outrage.

"The fuck? Why?" She took Piper's hand. "She can't do that." She raved. "Can she?"

"I think she can. And she did… Because I simply refused to fulfill her standards. Because I wouldn't break up with Alex. Because I wouldn't do as she says." Piper looked angry and sad at the same time. The mixture of feelings playing on her young face… But most of all she was hurt, felt abandoned by those who should stick by her against all odds.

"Did you tell Alex?"

"No, not yet. It doesn't really matter, Pol. I want to be with Alex. Full stop."

"Yeah, I know." The brunette hugged Piper. "And I support you all the way. You know that, right?" The blond nodded against her friend's shoulder.

"Thank you." Piper whispered. She was moved and emotional and she was mad at herself for being that way. She really tried to keep it all in, trying to persuade herself that her parents' opinion didn't matter so much… But in the end she felt cheated, abandoned by her own family. Her eyes glimmered with unshed tears.

"Fuck 'em." Polly laughed in hopes of changing Piper's mood and it seemed to be working since the blonde started to laugh as well.

"Yeah, fuck them."

"Fuck them. We'll be rich… richer that you're now." Polly grinned like a madman an Piper couldn't help her own excitement from bubbling out.

"We'll clean all the people in the world." She shouted with laughter.

"Woah… stop there. I won't wash the people in India. They won't afford us." Polly stated with mock superiority and it made Piper crack up once again.

"What happened to charity?" She asked.

"Oh… THAT… Well, when we're already richer than Gates, we can clean them, too, I guess, for free if you insist." Polly smiled a wicked smile.

"You're horrible."

"I know, the worst. Thank you very much." Polly laughed again. "But before we get horribly rich, let's pack your stuff and move you to that cozy little place of yours, shall we?"

"Yep. Alex promised to help me with moving the stuff so don't worry about it."

"Oh, thank God…"

– – –

Stella was walking briskly next to Alex. They were heading to the club where the crime had taken place. They've analyzed several reports and statements and decided it was the time to talk to the people themselves. Of course their main aim was to catch the robbers who broke into the club when it was closed but Alex was honestly hoping to come up with some useful information for the strangler case.

They stopped in front of a tall building. Its exterior wasn't too inviting. Old, run-down doors had their paint all peeling off and Alex wasn't sure anymore whether they were blue or actually pink. The windows were protected with rusty bars and the brunette smirked under her nose since those did not do the club any good, the robbers still had managed to get into the building. The lock on the door seemed to be intact but it had probably been replaced already. Truth to be told, among all the haze around the strangler case, a lot of other cases were delayed and the progress on them was little or close to zero altogether. Maybe that's also why Caputo had decided to put two of his top dogs onto some minor cases – to show the society that the police can still handle their shit and that they still cared.

Stella opened the door and both of them walked into a dimly lit room. What surprised them both was the fact that the inside of the building looked totally different from its outside. The walls were painted in dark red, there were very expensive-looking chandeliers hanging here and there. There were also huge spotless mirrors on the walls. There weren't any tables, just black leather sofas and a long mahogany bar table. The place was now empty except for a beautiful red-haired girl who appeared to be the bartender. She was counting the bottles on the shelves. She was probably getting ready for another night of fun at the club. The women headed straight to her.

"Hi. We're Stella Carlin and Alexandra Vause from the police department. We're here to…"

"Don't bother, hon. Whoever you are and wherever you're from, I'm not gonna help you." Stella's introduction was cut short by the bartender's laugh. She didn't bother to stop her work and didn't spare them even one glance.

"You've filled a report with the police stating there had been a breaking and entering here. You've also stated that there had been some equipment stolen." Alex addressed the young woman. She didn't like her attitude but she also knew that she had to be nice to the people here. She was seeking information after all. If she pissed them off, she wouldn't get any. "Maybe you would like to help us out with filling some of the gaps that our report appears to have." She concluded hoping that she didn't sound too desperate.

"Oh, THAT." The bartender turned around to finally face them but there was even bigger smirk on her face now.

"Yes, THAT." Stella smiled at her and Alex chuckled. She had seen Stella throw her charm at both female and male witnesses before. "Would you care to…" She heard the shorter brunette continue but she was stopped abruptly once again.

"It took you a while to finally get interested in our case. What makes you thing I would actually like to talk to you now?" The red head stated bluntly staring at a poor Stella who wasn't really used to be under such scrutiny yet. And right when the younger cop started to look really uncomfortable, the bartender's lips broke into a big grin. "You look cute when you're nervous." She was straightforward, alright. Alex had to bite her tongue hard not to laugh at her friend who was just standing there dumbfounded. The tall brunette had hardly ever had the chance to see Stella so flustered and she had to admit that the view was quite entertaining but she had to put an end to her misery so she cleared her throat to get the red-head's attention and Stella shot her a thankful yet timid smile.

"We're very sorry for the delay but as I mentioned before, would you care to clarify some details to us? It really might help the case."

"Sure. No problem." The bartender said still staring at Stella and Alex was internally laughing so hard that she was afraid the giggles would finally make it to the surface and something that Alex had always been scared of would actually happen, she would get murdered while being at work, but she would be murdered by her own partner.

"You have stated that some equipment had been stolen, is that right?" Alex asked with a clear voice and this time she got the bartender's attention… who was now laughing at her instead of Stella and Alex really had a problem in keeping her cool. This little minx was starting to get on her nerves. They had no time for her bullshit and yet they were standing there enduring her annoying behavior. "What's so funny?" Alex decided that it was enough and Stella shot her a begging glare not to blow it but the taller cop ignored it.

"Not some equipment. ALL of it. I guess someone was quite desperate in having some fun. And it wasn't really the equipment we use here, we sell it." Now she's talking – Alex thought happily – finally some facts.

"What do you mean by saying that someone was desperate to have some fun?" Stella asked.

"Someone who stole it had to have some special sexual needs." The bartender stared at the shorter brunette but this time the cop didn't let it show that she was uncomfortable.

"Care to explain?" Stella asked.

"You do realize that we're a BDSM club, right?" Both Alex's and Stella's eyes widened in surprise and the red-haired woman laughed some more. "Your report didn't state that, huh?" She chuckled. "They took leather restraint lines, whips, sex toys… You get the drift… I hope they set some safe word with their partner before using all of that." She laughed again and then looked straight in their faces, all the humor gone. "Let me be honest with you guys. I don't give a fuck about that equipment, as you call it, fuck I don't want it back, ugh…" She made a face and they laughed. "I wouldn't have even reported it probably but those fuckers smashed two of the chandeliers here and tore several sofas. I had to report it to make the insurance company give me my lost money back."

Stella continued to ask the girl some more questions while Alex went around the club to take a look at it. Maybe she could come up with some more inquiries if she saw the place itself but after walking around for a while she realized that her brain was rather getting full of some sexy images than real case-solving ideas. The paintings placed on the walls of the second room made Alex's palms sweat a bit. They all portrayed BDSM scenes between various couples, both straight and same sex. A great number of them were simply obnoxious to Alex… but some of them… "Fuck…" She whispered to herself while she stood there staring at one of those better pieces. She needed to get out of there before she got all hot and bothered. She chuckled to herself as she realized her own body and mind could still surprise her.

She came back to Stella and the other girl who were now talking quietly. "Do you have any bodyguards? Bouncers?" Alex asked startling the both of them.

"Yes, we do actually. There are always a few of them inside and one or two on the outside during our parties."

"We'd like to talk to them. Maybe they've seen something during the days leading to the robbery."

"Sure. I can arrange it for tomorrow. Is that OK?"

"Perfect." Stella said.

"Your smile is perfect." The bartender turned her full attention to Stella gain.

"I think we need to get going. Thank you for your time." Alex extended ended their conversation swiftly before the red head managed to put Stella in bigger discomfort.

Once the two of them were back on the outside and they could feel fresh air in their lungs, Alex couldn't take it anymore and burst out in laughter so much she had tears in her eyes but Stella didn't seem to be impressed.

"Fuck off, you dickhead." She muttered still all flustered. "That cheek is creepy."

"Yeah, maybe. But I'm sure you could get her into her pants in seconds." Alec continued to chuckle.

"Her? Into my pants? Fuck no. She would make me settle a 'safe word' and whip me around. I won't do that with a total stranger, thank you very much. Ugh…" Stella made a face and Alex couldn't contain her laughter once again. "Speaking of which… What's your safe word's gonna be with Piper, huh?" This got Alex stop laughing, though.

"The fuck are you talking about?" She chuckled.

"Don't tell me I didn't see that glitter in your eye, Vause." It was Stella's turn to laugh at her slightly red-faced friend. It didn't happen often that Stella could see Alex all uncomfortable like that but she enjoyed the picture… even a little too much.

"You're nuts, shortie." Alex smacked her friend's head lightly with the back of her hand. "Let's get to the station. I need to talk to Caputo." She concluded in much more serious tone and Stella gave up all the joking… to Alex's utter relief. Although, deep inside there was an idea forming in her wicked mind and she had to fight really hard to keep her mouth from breaking into a huge smile.


	20. Chapter 20

– 20 –

Alex spent most of her day at the station. After a brief conversation with Caputo about the club case situation, the brunette was forced by her superior to help other teams with their paperwork. If there was ever anything that the detective detested most that was the paperwork. The more reports she read, the more frustrated and tired she became. Every half an hour she would drag her feet to Caputo's office and ask about the DNA test results and each and every time her boss would tell her that he still didn't have them. And each such visit would make Caputo more and more frustrated too so when he saw Alex's head sticking into his office through an ajar door for the millionth time that day, he told her to get the fuck out of the station and just go home. When she didn't listen and continued to sit grumpily in her small box pissing everybody off, Caputo basically pushed her out of the building himself.

It was now almost 3 pm and when Piper saw Alex walking through the door, she was genuinely surprised to see her girlfriend. The brunette was hardly ever home before 7 or 8 pm. When she saw her tired face, the younger woman got immediately alert.

"Did something happen?" She asked worriedly as she walked up to the tall beauty. Alex just pecked her on the lips and forced a tired smile as she looked down at her blonde.

"No, baby. I'm just exhausted, I guess." She looked around the living room area. She could see that there were several boxes ready to by transported to her apartment, probably they were mainly filled with books. "I can see that you've kept yourself busy." Her eyes sparkled at the thought that Piper was so eager to move in with her.

"Well, I didn't have much to do except packing. Also, Polly helped me a lot." Piper hugged her. She really did miss not having her around all day and was happy that the brunette had actually finished earlier tonight. Yet, she was intrigued about the reason behind it. "Why are you home so early?"

This made Alex raise her eyebrow as she looked at her girlfriend with a tight smile. "Why? Do you want me to get back to work?"

"Hell no. I just…" Piper started to explain herself but was soon stopped by Alex's soft lips on her own.

"Good." Alex pecked her lightly one more time on the corner of her mouth. "Besides… I think Caputo would shoot me dead on the threshold of the station if he saw my face." Piper's eyebrows furrowed quizzically a that statement. "I might have pissed him off a bit today." Alex stated tiredly.

"How come?"

"I kept asking him about the DNA report that just wouldn't come and I was anxious and picky." The brunette grimaced when she thought about her own behavior. So unprofessional… Anger flared in her and Piper could see that her girlfriend's mind was going into very dark alleys so she just hugged her tight and stood on her tiptoes to kiss her temple.

"You're just tired, Al, that's all. I'm sure your colleagues can understand that." She kissed her cheek. "C'mon, help me with the packing so we can finally really go home." She smiled brightly and Alex couldn't help a smirk at seeking her girlfriend excited like that. Being with Piper made everything better already. She couldn't believe that from now on she would be coming back to that woman every single day.

"I thought you would have much more stuff to take." Alex stated while looking around. "We might be able to get everything at one go if we're lucky, actually."

"Umm… I don't think so…" Piper chuckled. "You haven't seen the suitcases with clothes…"

"I thought most of your clothes were at home already." Alex looked surprised.

"Nope." Piper grinned sweetly at her.

Just as Alex was about to comment on that, Piper's intercom came to life, startling both of them.

"Who is it?" Piper asked into the receiver.

"Yo, blondie, open up." She heard Nicky's joyful voice. She slurred her words a bit, too, and it made Piper chuckle. Of course her best friend couldn't handle her own mother while being totally sober. She needed something to numb her mind. Otherwise she might blow her mother's head off…

Soon there was a knock on the door and Alex opened it for their guest, who happened to bring her girlfriend along. Nicky was holding a pack of beer in each of her hands so apparently she wasn't done drinking yet.

"Vause." She grinned like a madman upon seeing the brunette. "Didn't expect you here so early." She handled her the drinks unceremoniously. "But the more, the merrier." She laughed, obviously intoxicated a bit more than Piper had assumed before seeing her crazy friend. Alex just laughed at the shorter girl.

"I'm afraid I won't help you with the drinking, Nichols."

"Awww…" Nicky looked at her with puppy eyes. "But I actually enjoy seeing you drunk." Alex just chuckled at that.

"Some other time. I'm driving today and I hope you're not." The brunette looked at Lorna who just showed her the car keys.

"Don't worry, sweetie, that woman…" She pointed at Nicky. "… is not getting anywhere near the steering wheel tonight."

"Yeah. But I've figured that it would be nice of us to help you guys move." Nicky stated after taking a big sip of her beer. She was sitting on the sofa with her legs on the coffee table, obviously completely relaxed and at ease at the apartment where she used to spend a lot of time. "I'm gonna miss our parties here, Chapman." She said with humor.

"Don't worry. We can throw some of those at the new place." Piper ruffled Nicky's hair.

"But she won't let us smoke weed." Nicky whined while pointing at openly laughing Alex. Ever since she met Piper's funny crowd, she had always had fun with them. Even if Nicky could be a bit too intense at times, she liked her a lot. Made her laugh. Besides, she was a good person. Crazy. But good.

"Stop grumbling, Nichols, and move your ass. You said you were here to help." Piper pointed out.

"You're. No. Fun." Nicky punctuated each word with poking her finger at Piper's nose.

"Yeah, well… We'll have some fun when we transport all the stuff. How about that?"

"You've got yourself a deal."

– – –

It took them several hours to finish the packing before they were finally able to move everything to Alex's place. After that they just chilled out eating pizza and drinking the beer that Nicky had brought… And the beer that Alex had in her fridge as well. Which was quite a lot actually and before Nicky and Lorna were ready to leave, the wild-haired girl was wasted so Alex helped Lorna get her to the car.

When the brunette got back, she saw that Piper was going through her suitcases, trying to unpack at least some of the things. She was now standing with her back towards the brunette so when she approached and put her arms around her waist gently, Piper gasped lightly with a surprise. She didn't hear her girlfriend coming back because she was too busy thinking about the new bookshelves and such.

"Mmm… I like you making that sound." Alex murmured huskily as she nuzzled the back of Piper's neck, making the blonde shiver. She then slid her hands down Piper's torso and started planting delicate kisses all over her neck and collar bones.

"All, baby…" Piper tried hard to concentrate but her girlfriend's ministrations surely didn't help her. "I need a shower. I'm all sweaty."

"I like making you all sweaty." Alex chuckled low in her throat and slid her left hand inside Piper's trousers, cupping her pussy in her palm. The blonde gasped at the bold gesture. She was completely sure that her girlfriend could feel how hot and bothered she had become even through her panties. Her guesses were confirmed when Alex started to move her palm up and down creating a light, gentle friction on her clit. Yet, it was so so purposeful and Piper moaned as she put her head back on Alex's shoulder and buried one of her hands in the raven tresses. Her hips, on their own, started to seek contact with Alex's hand and the brunette immediately applied more pressure onto the little bundle of nerves, making little circles with the tip of her fingers. The sounds that slipped from Piper's mouth made Alex's heart rate speed up and her own panties must have been ruined by now, she was sure of that. Yet, she didn't stop her movements. She was actually curious how fast she could make her girlfriend fall apart, just like that. And judging by Piper's whimpers and trebling legs, it wouldn't take long at all. She increased her efforts and soon enough the blonde could feel a hot fire starting in the pit of her stomach. She knew that feeling all too well and it made her almost embarrassed at how fast she was about to come undone. She didn't have much time to dwell on that because once she felt Alex suck at her pulse point as she simultaneously brushed her fingers harder against her clit, she squeezed her eyes shut until she could see stars. And she was flying right over the edge.

Her orgasm was short but extremely intense. Yet, instead of feeling completely spent, as she often did after a strong one, Piper felt her body still buzzing with energy and once her legs stopped shaking and allowed her to stand somewhat comfortably, she turned around in Alex's arms and kissed her hard on the lips making the brunette moan deep in her throat. She started to undress her girlfriend quickly while planting soft kisses down Alex's creamy neck, sucking here and there, making sure it wasn't so creamy anymore.

"So eager." Alex chuckled.

"Hush. Take off those pants." Piper stated between the kisses.

"So demanding." But instead of chuckling she couldn't contain a loud moan rumbling from her lips. Piper, without any warning, took one of Alex's nipples in her mouth and sucked hard, soothing it afterwards with her warm tongue. "Oh, God…" The brunette was in heaven.

"It's Piper." The blonde giggled as she looked straight into Alex's hooded green eyes. "C'mon, baby, let's take that shower, shall we?" She grinned at her mischievously and it made the brunette shiver. She loved it when Piper was like that. Playful. Fun. Sexy. Hot.

When they finally got to the bathroom Piper didn't give her much space nor time to collect herself. She pressed her wet body to Alex's and kissed her leisurely, sensually for whole long minutes. The brunette could sense her own nipples stiffen when she felt Piper pressing her breasts even closer. She was disappointed when the blonde ended the kiss. Even though her lips were puffy from all the action, they already missed her girlfriend. Piper just smiled at her knowingly but instead of continuing her ministrations, she took the shampoo and started to massage Alex's scalp.

"What are you doing?" The brunette giggled. She tried to sound carefree but her whole body was screaming for some release. Piper had made it buzz with electrifying energy so much that Alex could feel even the tips of her fingers tingling.

"Getting us clean, silly." The blonde smiled.

"But I like it when you're dirty." Alex captured Piper's lips once again but before she could make her girlfriend come back to the previous activities, the foam from her hair flooded down her face making its way to their lips and both of them started to spit it out giggling like crazy.

"That wasn't so well thought, Vause." Piper laughed at her still spitting girlfriend who was trying to wash out her hair now.

"Way to kill the moment. Yey me!" Alex laughed.

"Come here." Piper embraced her again. Now that the foam was completely gone, it was safe to kiss the brunette again and that's exactly what Piper did next, making Alex moan deep in her throat. She was still worked up so much it fucking hurt and she was sure that if Piper didn't do anything about it fast she would simply combust.

The blonde must have suspected that much. Maybe she saw that in Alex's trembling legs, or maybe in her shaky breath, or maybe in the brunette's shivering arms, despite almost scorching hot water. She kissed down Alex's neck right to her ample breasts. Piper loved them so much that she could spend whole hours just worshipping that part of Alex's body, but right now she knew that her girlfriend needed some release. That sort of fun could wait for later so she continued her way down Alex's body. She encouraged her to put her thigh over her shoulder giving her better access and when the brunette did just that, Piper couldn't contain her own moan of approval when she saw how wet her girlfriend was. Drained. And it had nothing to do with the shower. She was pretty sure of that. She kissed the soft trimmed hair right above Alex's little bundle o joy and when she felt the brunette's hips buckle a bit despite her efforts to keep still, Piper couldn't contain her hunger anymore. She took a long slow lick from her entrance to the tip of her clit before sucking it into her mouth. Alex' hand shot to Piper's golden tresses and a deep moan rippled from her chest. She could feel her clit pulsing with need and every Piper's suck and lick and twist and brush was making her go gradually mad. When she felt her girlfriend push her tongue through her entrance, Alex knew she wouldn't last long. She was approaching the edge with the speed of light. Her eyes were shut tight, she could feel blood simmering in her ears. She was almost there so she was simply unable to contain a frustrated sigh when she suddenly felt Piper take away her glorious mouth from her aching pussy. Alex was about to complain but she was stopped by the blonde's mouth on her own. She could taste herself on Piper and it just heightened her high. Then she felt blonde's fingers circulating her entrance. Her heart started to pound in her chest at a rapid speed because she knew what her girlfriend was about to do and when Piper slid her fingers in and started pumping at a pace nearing that of Alex's heart, the brunette knew it was matter of seconds before she would fall into million pieces.

"Pipes, please don't stop." She groaned breathlessly.

"Shhh… Look at me." Piper whispered hotly and Alex lifted her heavy eyelids. The green of her eyes was almost completely replaced with black. "I got you." Piper whispered again before kissing her thoroughly and sliding her fingers against that spongy spot on Alex's front wall. And that was it. Alex was gone, her hips moving on its own accord, she forgot how to breathe. The world stood still for those couple of intense seconds and then there came the long moan and shuddering. Piper held her tight through all the aftershocks. It must have been a really strong one for Alex and it made the blonde so proud she couldn't stop herself from grinning. She had to wait a little longer for her girlfriend to open her eyes and notice her beaming face.

"What are you so smug about?" She asked with a tired smile, her eyes still obviously heavy.

"I tired you out." Piper kissed the corner of her mouth. "You're cute when you're worn out like that."

Alex giggled. "Pfff… Just give me a minute." She whispered, her voice still hoarse and the sound of it made the blonde chuckle some more.

"Or two hmm?"

"Or two." Alex admitted laughing lightly and then kissing her lazily.

– – –

Somehow they forced themselves to actually finish their shower with a few little breaks for kisses here and there and it was now way over an hour later when they finally were lying comfortably in the bed, both wearing fluffy robes which Piper had bought on one of her shopping rampages with Polly. Alex had her head on Piper's belly and was reading some novel while Piper was simply running her finger through the black tresses. She loved Alex's hair. It was so silky smooth and such a rich color.

"How do you do it?" The blonde finally asked and it earned her a look and a lifted eyebrow from Alex. "How do you make your hair look so good?" She asked again still running her fingertips through Alex's hair and the brunette chuckled.

"I don't know. I don't do anything." She answered while she continued to read her book.

"See? And that's not fair." Piper pouted while she took a long look at her own hair. "I need to work my ass off to have fairly decent hair." She examined her ends and she felt her belly shaking with Alex's laughter. "What?"

"You're kinda cute." Alex stated after putting the book down and turning around so she could now face her girlfriend.

"You know… I think I'm going to go into business with Polly." The blonde blurred out and Alex's eyebrows shot up to her hairline.

"Oh? I thought you weren't interested so much in that."

"Well, I've figured that it would be actually good to do something else except studying."

"But you said you wanted to focus on school and your art and that this semester would be really hard on you. When will you find the time for it?" Alex was now sitting cross-legged on the bed. She was studying her girlfriend's face intently.

"Yeah, I did say that." Piper wasn't sure how to continue with the conversation and was mad at herself for starting it in the first place. "I've just changed my mind about it. That's all."

Alex narrowed her eyes. She knew that something was wrong and her girlfriend just wouldn't tell her but she had none of it. She needed to know what was bothering Pieper because obviously something definitely was. "What made you change your mind?" When she was met with silence which only worried Ales more. "C'mon, Pipes. You've been a little off recently. What's going on?" She took her hand and played with her fingers a little. "Tell me before I go crazy." She smiled at her, trying to encourage the girl.

Piper took a long breath. "Remember that dinner I had with my parents a while ago?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, we sort of had a littlefightandtheysaidtheyrecuttingmeoff." Piper spoke so fast that she wasn't sure that even she herself understood what she had just said. Alex just sat there confused until she seemed to sort out the babbling and her face furrowed in anger. "Please don't be mad, Al."

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked sounding hurt.

"You had your own problems to deal with, you still do. I guess I didn't want to burden you…"

"That dinner was over a week ago, Pipes. When were you planning to tell me?" Alex was angry.

"I'm telling you now." She tried to take Alex's hand but the brunette brushed her off. "Please, Al, don't be like that. I'm sorry."

Alex just huffed but when she turned around and saw that Piper was close to tears now all her anger dissipated. She hated seeing her girlfriend so distraught and she suddenly felt like a total asshole. Instead of being supportive she was acting like some spoilt brat. _Way to go, Vause._ – She thought to herself ironically. She came back to bed and lied down next to the blonde. She circled her waste with her arm protectively and kissed her lightly in the crook of her neck.

"No, baby. I'm sorry." A kiss. "I'm really sorry." She kissed her again in the same spot and tightened her hold. "Tell me all about the dinner, OK?"

"Are you mad at me?"

"Who? Me? Mph… No…" She whispered smoothly.

"Well… You could've fooled me." Piper looked down at the brunette.

"I'm sorry, OK? I was for a second. I'm not anymore." Piper just looked at her with still glassy eyes. "I got angry that you wouldn't tell me about something so important. I share everything with you and you just didn't trust me enough to…"

"I do trust you." Piper cut her off immediately. "More than anyone in the whole wide world. It's just I really didn't want to add anything more to you baggage right now."

"OK."

"Are we good now?" Piper asked quietly.

"Yeah." Alex smiled at her. "We'll always be good. Even when we're angry."

"Yeah." Piper smiled now, too. "I just hate when you're angry at me." She confessed. "I don't ever want it to happen again."

"It's bound to happen." Ales laughed and Piper just nudged her in her ribs making the brunette giggle a bit more. Piper had a smile on her face as well. It was so good to have someone like Alex by her side. Everything was so easy with her. Even getting out of fight. "So? Are you going to tell me?" The blonde's train of thought was interrupted by Alex's gentle question. And Piper told her all. About the fight with her mother and about the fact that her meek father refused to take Piper's side. About her older brother not giving a fuck. He also refused to openly defend Piper. He still talked to her, of course, but that's that. About Cal being silenced for the fear of losing everything as well. All in all she was left all alone and the money subject wasn't even the most important here. She could deal with that one way or another. But what hurt her the most was the fact that nobody in her family stuck out for her. No one. Not even Cal. This upset Piper the most.

"You've got Celeste." Alex whispered. They were now laying in bed together again.

"I know. She's awesome." Piper smiled at the thought of her grandmother.

"And you've got me." Alex kissed her temple. "You'll always have me."

"I know." Piper looked at her with endearment. "I love you, you goof."

"I love you too, kid."

– – –

It was still dark when Alex woke up. It took her a while to realize that sometime during their slumber the got rid of the robes the had lied down in. What amused her was the fact that she actually didn't remember taking it off.

"Losing clothes must come on reflex when I'm around her." She chuckled to herself. She looked at the blonde who was still sound asleep next to her. Then she looked at the alarm clock which showed that it was a few minutes past 5:30 am. Still a night practically, at least in Alex's books. She didn't have to be at work until 11 – that's when the meeting with bouncers from the club would take place. Piper didn't have to be at school till noon. "Plenty of time…" She smirked to herself again.

She traced her fingertips along Piper's toned stomach until she could cup one of her breasts. She avoided her nipple. She didn't want to wake her girlfriend up. Not just yet. She kissed her shoulder lightly and continued to plant soft kisses up to her hand. Both of Piper's arms were stretched upwards. She often slept like that, making Alex chuckle each time she saw her in that cute position. As if she was the boss of the world. Her curly blonde hair were slightly covering her cheek and eyes. Piper was completely oblivious to the world.

Alex moved quietly to gently straddle her girlfriend. She didn't sit on her lap, just hover over her with her body. The blonde squirmed when her breasts touched Piper's by accident and Alex had to fight hart to stifle a giggle. When she calmed down a bit she kissed her girlfriend's jaw. Lightly as a feather. She still didn't want to wake her up. There were better methods for this. She continued to kiss down her neck and further down to her collar bone where she nibbled the soft skin for a while, making sure there would be a lovely hickey in the morning. Alex slowly moved her body downwards. When her eyes leveled with Piper's lovely breasts, she just couldn't help herself anymore and took one of her nipples into her mouth. She sucked very gently. Enough to bring pleasure but not enough to really stir Piper awake, not yet anyway. After a few seconds of such caresses, Alex moved on to another mound, this time being a bit more bold with her actions and right as she bit down delicately, soothing the area immediately with her skilful tongue, Piper's eyes fluttered open.

"Al…" She buried her hand in Alex's hair, trying to make her stay and continue her magic, but the brunette grabbed Piper's hand and slowly placed it back at the top of the bed where she held both of her wrists gently as she continued to suck at Piper's nipple slowly, circling her areola with the soft, methodic swipes of her tongue. "Oh, God…" Was all that she could see coming from Piper's mouth over and over again.

The blonde tried to free her hands one more time but Alex's grip only got firmer as she finally had some mercy at Piper's breasts which were by now glowing with proud hickeys. Her nipples were so stiff and needy that they actually hurt.

"Do you trust me, kid?" She whispered hotly into Piper's ear before licking it with the tip of her tongue. Piper just nodded her head, finding it hard to use her voice. "I need to hear it." Alex demanded softly, still placing soft kisses along Piper's jaw.

"I trust you." The blonde finally whispered not without a struggle to control her vocal cords. "Completely." She looked into Alex's green orbs and only then did the detective realize how utterly turned on her girlfriend was. Piper's baby blue eyes were dark with pure lust but there was something more in them, too. Love. Devotion. Adoration at its fullest.

Alex kissed her lovingly on the lips and then on the corner of her mouth before looking down at her girlfriend. "There's something I'd like us to try." She whispered gently. "But we'll need to take a little precaution." Piper looked up at her with surprise painting her beautiful features, yet the fire in her eyes was still there. Burning even brighter than before.

She moved her head up to kiss Alex. She wasn't really gentle at that either. "What precaution?"

"A safe word." She chuckled before kissing Piper back. She could feel her own insides clenching and growing wetter by the minute. God, this woman would be the end of her.

"What safe word?" Piper whispered after yet another hot kiss. Her lips were puffy and tingling and she loved every second of it. She would squeeze her tights if she only could but Alex was now sitting right between them, preventing any movement.

"You choose." The brunette smirked before nibbling at Piper's neck again. This piece of the blonde's body would really need some decent cover up later.

"Peanut." Piper chuckled and upon hearing the word Alex burst out laughing. She sat on her heels trying to compose herself.

"Why the fuck peanut?" She continued to laugh and Piper sat up slightly leaning back on her elbows.

"You're allergic. The moment you taste, smell or just look at one you freeze." Piper giggled.

"Smarty pants."

"I have no pants." Piper grinned before sitting up to put her arms around her girlfriend but Alex stopped her. She pushed her back onto the bed and held her hands up just like before.

"They are to stay right here." She held her wrists firmly to make her point. "And to help you keep them here, I have a little present for us." She grinned deviously before securing Piper's arms with delicate silk strips which she later tied down onto the headboard. The blonde was completely surprised. She hadn't seen Alex taking them to their bed. She must have had them hidden under the pillow or something. Nice move, Vause. "Try to move them." She heard her girlfriend say.

Piper did but the know wouldn't budge. "Shit, I can't" She giggled but the laughter died on her lips once Alex took her nipple into her mouth and sucked. Hard. "Oooh shit, Al…" She hissed instead. Alex then soothed the painfully stiff bud with her tongue before doing the same trick with the other. Piper was reduced to mush within seconds. Her breathing got more labored.

"I've got one more little gift for you, my love." Alex whispered hotly before putting another silk stripe over Piper's eyes and gently securing it, making sure the blonde was comfortable at the same time.

She moved back to Piper's chest. "I love your breasts." Alex whispered as she continued to plant kisses all over them. She nibbled at the base of them only to return to her nipples time and time again, making the blonde squirm underneath her.

Piper's hips started to subtly move up and down very slowly and sensually and the movement hypnotized Alex for a while. Her girlfriend was so beautiful like that, so open. The brunette admired her for a few more seconds before starting to kiss down Piper's ripped stomach. God, how she lowed those muscles there. Perfection.

She kissed the sensitive skin between Piper's thigh and pussy, making her hips buckle more violently at the unexpected contact but Alex put her palm onto Piper's abdomen gently pressing down to calm the blonde down. She could feel that her muscles were strained. Her own body felt on fire too. She was unable to say who was more excited about this all, she herself or Piper.

She traced the outline of Piper's pussy with her tongue and the blonde couldn't contain a loud moan. But as soon as Piper was hoping to finally get what she desperately needed Alex's touch was completely gone and she was left there lying in a quiet room. She was breathing hard and as she sensed that Alex was gone from the bed, she tried to squeeze her legs again, just to relieve of her tension.

"Don't." She head Alex's calm voice. It wasn't harsh… Yet it definitely wasn't a plea. Piper realized that immediately so she kept her legs spread open. She thought that her arousal couldn't get any higher but she was proven wrong when she felt Alex's soft lips on the inside of her thigh right at the lever of her knee. The bed sagged again under the brunette's weight and Piper could feel her lips travelling up her thigh. The kisses were more purposeful this time and it excited the blonde beyond any means but right as she was sure to feel those wonderful lips on the place she needed them the most, Alex's touch was gone once again. She could sense the brunette hovering over her but could do nothing to grab her, to feel her, to make her do those wonderful things to her. Piper was at her mercy and she knew that.

"Al, please…" She almost sobbed with need.

"Shhhhh…" Alex put her fingertip on Piper's mouth, silencing her, and when she was sure the blonde got the message, she traced that finger all the way down her body, stopping a few millimeters right above her clit. Piper was ready to beg again but she stopped herself, figuring it wouldn't help her much now. She was focusing hard on her breathing and trying not to squirm too much. Just as she thought she would go completely mad, Alex circled her clit with the pad of her thumb. She was gentle, slow and meticulous.

They both were unable to contain their moans – Piper at the wonderful sensations spreading now throughout her whole body, she felt as if her whole abdomen was clenching with each movement on her sensitive bundle of nerves – Alex at the warm slick wetness of her girlfriend's pussy. She didn't remember ever seeing Piper so turned on, painfully almost. Her knuckles were white with how hard she was gripping the satin stripes now.

The brunette continued her circular motion while she moved gently up to plant a hungry kiss onto Piper's eager lips. They battled briefly for dominance but soon Piper let Alex win that one too. She longed to touch her raven-haired beauty and time and time again she would pull on the silk ropes. She couldn't stop herself. She was so desperately close to the edge but judging by Alex's quickened breathing and slightly trembling hands, the brunette wasn't far behind herself even though Piper had no chance to even touch her once. Alex's high only made her own arousal sky rocket but right as she thought she would finally be graced with the most immense pleasure, Alex slowed down her motions. Now she just stopped altogether and Piper whimpered.

"Baby, please, just…" But all her voice died in her throat when she felt something warm and actually nice…and hard between her legs. She was surprised, yes. Shocked? Nope, they had talked about it before. They had tried some toys before as well, but never this… Piper was shocked though to feel her excitement grow tenfold, if that was even possible anymore. She trembled hard.

Alex waited a moment to let the idea sink in into Piper's mind. She wanted to give her girlfriend the time to protest, to use the safe word, but all she got was Piper's panting. She wasn't sure whether the blonde forgot the fucking word or what… Maybe this was too much too soon. She kissed her to get her attention.

"Is this okay?" She whispered gently against her lips. She needed to make sure. Just this time.

"God, yes…" Was all that Piper managed to say. She loved every second of this and the fact that despite their little sexy game Alex was still concerned about her, made Piper love her even more. She searched for Alex lips, not caring whether the brunette would be mad about that bold move, but as soon as she was granted a searing kiss, Piper felt Ales sliding into her effortlessly. She was gentle but still purposeful and soon her movements gained in speed and force creating a wonderful rhythm, her thumb never leaving Piper's clit.

The blonde felt a hot coil in her abdomen, the very familiar feeling of pure ecstasy at its highest but when Piper thought she was ready to burst it just continued to grow until it became unbearable. She trembled all over, her hips' movement becoming more and more broken. She wasn't sure what was happening to her but it sure would blow her mind. She felt Alex tensing above her too, heard her whisper sweet nothings into her ear followed by even sweeter moans. The brunette was close yet she refused to stop until she saw Piper coming undone. And coming completely undone she did. Just a few more strokes later. All she could see was white, all she could feel was tremendous pleasure that just wouldn't tamper off for what seemed like minutes and right as Piper though she would go mad, the intense feeling started to slowly fade away.

When she finally opened her eyes, she realized that her arms were set free, the blindfold was gone and Alex was holding her tight, kissing her neck and jaw and temple and hair. She was still buried deep inside her and it started to be a little too much for her over-stimulated body. Thankfully, Alex caught on her slight discomfort and slowly started to slide out of her, making her whimper.

"Shhh… Baby, I've got you." She kissed her with so much love and devotion that Piper forgot about everything except those luscious delicious lips. Before Alex looked down again at her, she withdrew completely and tossed the toy away. She would worry about it later. "Are you okay?" She asked a little bit concerned.

"Mmm… Splendid." She whispered hoarsely and Alex chuckled with relief. "You? Are you okay?" She asked back as she looked up into her green eyes. They were sparkling. So clear.

"Mmm… Splendid." Alex smirked and kissed her temple. "Come here." She lied on her side and opened her arms for the blonde to fit in.

"I just did come… God, no, fucking peanut or whatever the word was." Piper groaned mockingly as tried to nestle herself into a comfortable position. Alex stated to laugh. God, she loved that blond woman so much.

Just as their fit of laughter stared to die out something odd struck Piper. "Al, why is it so wet in here?"

"Well… Should I give you a biology lecture on why I'm still wet?" Alex joked which only earned her a punch to the arm.

"No, I mean it. Why is the bed sheet like that?" The blonde continued to check the sheet under them and Alex just continued to laugh making Piper more and more nervous. "Al?"

"You really don't remember?" The brunette chuckled.

"Remember what?"

"You're a squirter, kid." Alex grinned and Piper's face looked as if she saw something horrid.

"I'm a what?" She asked with disbelief, her face turning redder by the minute. She wanted to fucking hide somewhere, disappear. Instead she chose to bury her head into Alex's bosom, nice and practical since she wouldn't have to face the brunette anymore. Yet, the rumbling laughter in her chest was still clearly heard. Even more so in this position.

"Baby, hey…" Alex lifter her head gently when she finally managed to contain herself. "That was the most sexy thing I've ever ever seen." She kissed her on the mouth quickly. "God, it makes me hot and bothered just thinking about it." She grinned.

"Yeah?" The blonde looked at her sheepishly. "I didn't freak you out?"

"Freak me out?" Now Alex was just smiling gently. "You could never freak me out. I love you."

"I love you, too." Piper whispered and had to stifle a yawn.

"It's still early. Let's get some well deserved sleep, shall we?" Alex covered them better with the comforter. "Night, Pipes."

"Night, Al."

– – –

They were so exhausted that they overslept. Both of them. That left them running like crazy to get ready. Alex just managed to get a super fast shower and was gone right when the clock showed 11:20. She was sure that Stella just wouldn't quit bugging her and laughing at her for the rest of the day.

Piper, on the other hand, managed to get some breakfast before heading to the campus. She was planning to finish one of her projects and later meet up with Polly and Nicky. She also hoped to have the chance to talk to the brunette about their future business. She really needed to get this thing going. It would take her mind off of other problems and make her feel much better about herself. For some reason she felt the need to show her parents that yes, she could be independent and serious about life. AND successful.

"Yo! Chapman, wait up!" She heard Nicky's voice behind her back. She turned around and smiled at her best friend.

"Yo yourself, Nichols. I'm surprised you're actually coming to classes today. How's your head?" She grinned.

"Fuck off." She laughed. "How's your vampire girlfriend?"

"What?" Piper laughed. "What do you mean?"

"Have you seen the back of your neck? Or did you use your make-up only on the front. I wouldn't wear a bun today if I were you." Nicky laughed at her friend's evident discomfort.

"Fuck off." The blonde shot back… But she did let her hair loose.

– – –

Alex was walking briskly towards the club, Stella not far behind. As she had figured, her short partner had a blast at joking at Alex's late arrival. Everybody knew she wasn't an early bird but also everybody knew she was never late. Never. And the day had finally come. Today. Almost an hour of delay.

"So… It's going to be a new pattern of yours?" Stella chuckled.

"What pattern?"

"Showing up late at work every day in crumpled clothes from yesterday?" She looked at Alex with bright mischievous eyes. "I thought that moving in with your girlfriend would actually prevent all that."

"Fuck off, Carlin." Alex simply stated but she was fighting a smile from her lips.

"Or was that just a niiiice looong night of celebration of her moving in?" Stella just wouldn't let go.

"Cut it, shortie. We have the job to do." Alex said as she opened the door to the club. "Who knows? Maybe we'll see a certain redhead here today and it's you who's going to be late for work tomorrow."

"Fuck you." Stella laughed but she tried to hide her nervousness.

"Well, hello ladies. Good to see you here… finally." They head a male voice when they got inside and Alex immediately recognized it.

"Fuck." She only managed to whisper under her breath leaving Stella standing there confused.

"What's wrong?" The shorter brunette asked because obviously something had surprised Alex here and not in a good way.

"Mendez." Alex just stared coldly at the man in front of her. This wasn't going to be good.

"Long time no see." Mendez grinned and it made Alex sick to her stomach.


	21. Chapter 21

– 21 –

" _Well, hello ladies. Good to see you here… finally." They head a male voice when they got inside and Alex immediately recognized it._

" _Fuck." She only managed to whisper under her breath leaving Stella standing there confused._

" _What's wrong?" The shorter brunette asked because obviously something had surprised Alex here and not in a good way._

" _Mendez." Alex just stared coldly at the man in front of her. This wasn't going to be good._

" _Long time no see." Mendez grinned and it made Alex sick to her stomach._

– – – –

"What are you doing here?" Alex's face was blank and Stella had a problem reading her partner. She recognized the name. She was sure she had heard it before but just couldn't put her finger on it. She decided to let the situation play itself out. Alex seemed to have her initial surprise under control so everything should be fine…

"Working. Just like you are, Alex, my friend." The guy with ugly moustache looked Alex straight in the eye, completely ignoring her shorter partner.

"We're not friends, Mendez." Alex stated, seemingly unmoved.

"Yeah. We're not." Mendez turned serious now. "Not since you fucked me over."

"I fucked you over? Are you kidding me?" Alex was incredulous upon hearing the accusation. "You fucked yourself over by molesting a fellow cop, you scumbag. Did you think I would lie to protect you?"

Stella's eyes grew wide in realization. Now she remembered. George 'Pornstache' Mendez, the infamous police officer, dismissed from the forces for misconduct, at least that's what his file said, Alex's ex-partner on duty. The guy was lucky having avoided prison. Only because the chief of the police wanted to get rid of him quietly. Alex had been furious about the whole situation. She had wholeheartedly supported Daya, his victim and Alex's friend from the department. Both women had been hoping that Mendez would face charges but the whole scandal was swept under the carpet. That had been the only time when Alex almost got her ass fired because she had offended even Caputo's boss… in public.

"Partners should have each other's back, Alex." Mendez had a fake smile on his creepy face. "But that's OK now. I've got a job, I'm good. Peace." He extended his hand for Alex to shake but she just stared at him.

"Interrogate him. I'll talk to the others." She stated to Stella and without waiting for her answer she disappeared in the other room, leaving her present partner with the ex one. She was fuming and didn't want her personal approach to stall the investigation. Fucking Caputo, he should've known about this.

Stella looked at Mendez, acting cool as nothing had had just transpired. She took out her notepad, ready to take the man's statement.

"Name and job position, sir." She stated coldly.

"Ask your boss." He smirked.

"She's not my boss and please, I count on your cooperation. Unless you want to visit the station and give your official statement there." She looked him in the eye, unfazed by his demeanor.

"George Mendez, chief of security in this magnificent abode." He showed the place with his arms. "How can I help you?" He stepped closer to her. He was tall, alright, but Stella tried not to show that she felt a bit intimidated by him.

"Who was here first on the day of the break in?" She asked not looking at him.

"That would be Robert Downey Jr." He grinned.

"You're kidding me right?" Stella just stared at him.

"No. That's his real name. We call him Tony."

"Because?" This was getting confusing and Stella grew agitated.

"Tony Stark?" Mendez's smile dropped upon not seeing any recognition in Stella's eyes. "Iron Man?"

"Oh, right." She noted something down. "So he was the one to notify the police?"

"No, that would be me. He called me first and I called you guys when I got to work. End of the story."

"Had you seen anyone suspicious around here before the crime? Maybe some weird client that had got your attention?"

Mendez laughed loudly making Stella jump a bit. "Officer Carlin, we've got only weirdoes here. It's a fucking BDSM bar, for fuck's sake."

"Fair point." She chuckled at herself. "Do you have CCTV?"

"Of course… Because all of our clients would just love to be on tapes for the whole world to see their kink behavior." He looked at her with amusement. He was now much closer to her than at the beginning of her questioning.

"Move back, sir." She stated coldly.

"Why? I'm not even in your personal zone, officer. Feeling uncomfortable already?" He asked as he took another step forward making Stella take one back. "Scared of men like your lezzy boss over there?" He sniggered. "The police is going down the drain hiring creatures like you." He spitted with venom, humor all gone from his voice and Stella had to admit she was a little scared of him.

"Step. The fuck. Back." She looked him bravely in the eye despite the growing uneasiness. She noticed that one of his hands was scratched to the blood and it stirred something in her. This creepy fuck was acting really boldly even towards an officer on duty. Had been accused of violence against women in the past… Seemed to have a problem with gay people… It all made Stella grow more and more suspicious of the guy.

"Are we good to go?" She head Alex's voice from behind her and she thanked all the gods in heavens that her partner was back. She really started to feel like she was suffocating here with this man.

"Yeah, we're good."

"Go to the car. I'll be there in a minute." Alex stated not taking Mendez from her sight.

"Yeah, listen to your boss, Carlin." He grinned evilly.

Stella hesitated for a second but she trusted Alex. She knew that the brunette would never do anything to jeopardize the investigation. That would be highly unprofessional and Alex was well known for her seriousness and honesty about her work. So she left, ignoring Mendez altogether. If he thought he could piss her off just like that, he was wrong. And she did look up to Alex, she was her mentor after all. That wasn't a secret to anyone.

"Stop harassing her. If I see you playing your dirty tricks on her… I assure you, you will be in trouble."

"Are you threatening me, Vause?"

"Warning you." She looked straight at him. "Give me a call if you hear something or remember something. You have my number." She turned around and left.

– – – –

Alex got into the car and slammed her door. She hit the steering wheel with such force that it made Stella jump in her seat.

"Fucking Caputo." She growled.

"It's not his fault. He didn't know." Stella tried gently. She didn't want to piss Alex more.

"I'm sorry for leaving you alone with him. I just can't stand him. I feel like I'm about to punch his nose in every time I look at his fucking face." Alex's arms slumped as she relaxed in her driver's seat and started the engine. They were supposed to go to the station and fill in the reports from today. Another sweet task that Alex just adored…

"It's OK. I can deal with that fucking creep."

Alex chuckled at the 'cute' nickname that Stella had assigned to him. It did suit him well, indeed. Fucking creep.

"Listen… It's just a thought…" Stella started calmly after they had been driving for several minutes.

"What is it?" Alex kept throwing glances at her partner as she was driving.

"Mendez had scratches on his hand. Pretty fresh, I dare say. Nasty and bloody."

Alex stopped the car with a screech and looked at her partner. "What the fuck are you talking about?" Her brows furrowed.

"Scratches, all over his hands. He's fucking creepy. Has access to gay bars, works in that area… Didn't seem to like gay people…" Alex looked at her quizzically. "Let's say I've got the homophobe vibe from him, OK?"

"Yeah, he's a top shelf homophobe. OK… I don't think he could do it. I mean… He's a sick fuck, alright, but…" Her mind was boiling. What if…?

"There's DNA, right? From Tricia's case." Stella whispered in the quiet car. "What if we could get his DNA for comparison… You know… Just to make sure." She asked gently. She knew that Mendez was a horrible person but he was still Alex's ex-partner. It was always hard to think that somebody you know can do something horrible like that. Even if that somebody is a fucking psycho.

"We've got his DNA."

"What? How?" Stella's eyes widened in surprise.

"Daya's case. He did rape her, Stella… It wasn't just a fucking misconduct." Alex's jaw clenched. "Fucking bastard was never prosecuted but I bet his case file is still in the evidence archive."

Stella just sat there. This could be nothing… It was just a gut feeling but a good cop always follows their gut feeling. That's what Alex herself had told her millions of times. If they were wrong nothing would happen… But what if they were right?

"We must force Caputo to test his DNA against the one found in Tricia's case." Stella stated. "Let's talk to him. Give him a hint. He will figure something out."

"You're right. Let's get there and get it over with." Alex was nervous. Stella could be right. Mendez would easily fit the profile of a serial abuser/killer like that. He needed to be checked.

– – – –

"Are you fucking insane?" Caputo couldn't be more straightforward, alright, and both Alex and Stella flinched hearing his loud screaming. Hell, probably half of the station could hear him shouting at them as if they were some kind of rookies. They had known talking to their boss would be difficult but it was turning to be way more challenging than any of them had thought. They were happy that it was quite late by now so there weren't as many officers in the corridors as during the day. The less number of people heard them, the better for the case… and for their dignities, too.

"Please, keep it down, boss." Alex tried to calm him down.

"Are you fucking kidding me? I should do those tests based on what exactly?" He shouted at her. Obviously her attempts at calming him down went down the drain.

"Sir… Think about it. He's there every day. He sees people come, people go. He's one of the crowd, completely blended into the crowd. Hell, people there know him and they would never think anything of him even if he followed them and talked to them. He's probably friends with a lot of club goers there." Stella talked fast before Caputo would stop her with another fit of screams. That seemed to work because now he was just sitting and staring at the both of them with disbelief in his extremely tired eyes. "Look, sir, maybe you could find a reason for Bennett to get there and talk to him. Just to talk to potential witnesses again, you know. Let's say John sees the scratches that I've seen today, let's say he orders the testing…" She tried speaking slower now and internally she was getting ready to be bawled out. But after her short speech there was only silence. Caputo seemed to be thinking hard and both women were observing him expectantly. A little bit of hope simmering there.

"OK."

"OK?" Both Stella and Alex asked.

"Yes. We'll do it. But I hope you're wrong, Alex." He pointed at her.

"I hope I'm wrong, too, boss. We just need to be sure. That's all."

"Get your asses out of here. I'll see you in the morning. I need to find you a different case. Fuck."

"What? Why?" Alex was pissed now.

"Fucking Mendez. No matter what's up with that scumbag, you can't be on any of his cases. His lawyers would make you look like a vengeful bitch. Why do you think he was acting so bold with the two of you. He knows you can do shit to him."

Both Alex and Stella tried to protest but Caputo was right. Even they knew it.

– – – –

It was way after 11 pm when Alex finally got home. She still had had to fill in a few reports, maybe even more than just a few. She and Stella had also been driving around the club area, just to see if everything was fine there and just to talk. They usually had the best ideas when they were in the car. By the time Alex had grown tired of maneuvering the car in the heavy traffic, it was pretty late.

She was now trying to slip into her apartment quietly. It was semi-dark inside and she could see Piper sleeping in their bed. She didn't want to wake her up so she decided not to put the light on… And that was a profound mistake. The first step she took in the room, she bumped her foot into something hard and heavy, which turned out to be a bucked full of yellowish liquid. But that Alex realized only after Piper turned the light on and found her in a puddle of it in the middle of the room.

"Al, are you okay?" Piper asked as she started to laugh. She jumped out of her bed upon hearing something crashing in the room and now was standing there bowling with laughter with a baseball bat in her hand.

"Really? A baseball bat?" Alex laughed when she saw her girlfriend. She looked at herself. She was fully covered with the funny fluid. It was slippery as hell and Alex had a problem getting up so Piper decided to help her. After several attempts which were ruined by their laughter, she was finally standing. "God, I hope this isn't pee. Ugh…" She grimaced as she smelled her hands. Piper grinned at her and licked a little drop of the liquid off of Alex's finger. "That was kinda hot." The brunette chuckled. "Unless that's pee." She smelled her hands again and Piper smacked her lightly on the head, making her laugh even more.

"What would a bucket full of pee be doing in our apartment, Al?"

"I don't know… It smells funny." The brunette joked. "What is this mess anyways?" She looked around. The whole apartment was full of similar buckets, all covered to prevent the smells from getting out. Still, the whole room smelled… intriguingly. "What's going on here?" Piper looked at her with puppy eyes and Alex knew there was trouble heading their way. "OK. What is it?" She looked her girlfriend straight in the eye.

"So… I told you about me and Polly getting into this soap business, right?" Alex just looked at her. "Well, we tried making them at her place but after some time Pete said that there was no way we could do it there so I thought we could do it here…" She saw Alex's eyebrows rise up. "Only just for a while. Until we get some nice place for our mini company… Pretty please…" Piper looked at her with huge blue puppy eyes.

"Okay…" Alex felt that she gave up too easily but what could she say. Those eyes were her weak spot. The moment she uttered that short word Piper's lips were on hers, kissing here all over with excitement of a five-year-old, and Alex couldn't help but laugh at her goofy girlfriend. "But just for a while."

"Yes, of course." Piper agreed still jumping up and down a bit… until she slipped in the poodle of the gooey yellow thing and landed on her ass with a thump. "Jeeez… I've just washed." She whined. "And my ass hurts." She looked up at Alex. "Stop laughing."

"C'mon, kid." She lifted her up with ease. "Let's wash your ass again." She grinned at her with mischief in her eyes.

– – – –

They were lying cuddled together on their bed. Piper had her head on Alex's chest. She loved to listen to her girlfriend's heartbeat. That was her favorite sound in the whole wide world. She was slowly drifting off to sleep when she heard the brunette chuckle lightly. She lifted her head to look at the woman beneath her.

"What?" She smiled sleepily.

"Just look at yourself. I don't need a blanket anymore, kid." Alex's velvety voice was full of merit even though she was sleepy now, too.

Piper looked down. Yep, she could get what Alex meant. Her leg was between Alex's, her arm was under Alex's top, her fingers grazing her muscled abdomen lightly. Most of her body was on Alex's. She smiled even wider.

"What can I say? You're comfy." The blonde grinned.

"What I am is hot."

"Yeah, that too." Piper kissed her collar bone.

"No, I mean it. I'm too hot, like, literally, Pipes. You're like a small radiator." She giggled.

"Oh." Piper's expression grew a bit more serious. "Sorry." She smirked and moved away from Alex but still kept her hand, stroking her thumb over her palm. They were lying like that for a while before she heard Alex chuckle again.

"Now what?" She lifted her head and stared down at her girlfriend.

"It smells like cinnamon here. Are you trying to make some Christmas edition or something?"

"Yeah… We were actually thinking about that but we can't find the exact smell."

"Try the gingerbread thing. Cinnamon is not enough. Or add oranges." Alex made Piper cuddle up to her again in the mean time. She decided she'd rather be too hot than not to feel the blonde next to her. She loved being so close to her. It calmed her down. Piper's head was back in the cook of her neck and her arm sneaked around her waist again.

"We'll try that tomorrow." Piper kissed Alex's collar bone lightly. "Night, Al."

Alex kissed her hair. "Night, baby."

It was at least half an hour and a few changes of position later. Alex's eyes were wide open, her mind was buzzing with information processing and she didn't have idea how to turn it off. She even considered getting up and grabbing a drink to numb her brain but then she thought that she needed to be at the station in a couple of hours and it would be nice if she was completely sober and without a hangover.

She turned to her back again and stared at the ceiling. The apartment was smelled funky and even that was a reason good enough not to sleep. _What if Mendez had something to do with all those girls?_ She turned onto her side and looked at her sleeping girlfriend. Piper looked so peaceful. Her blond hair fell onto her cheek and Alex tugged it lightly away from her face. The blonde leaned into her touch and it made the detective smile. _That would make sense… He hated the police after that scandal from way back when. He knew forensic. Damn…_ Alex turned to her back again and huffed lightly under her nose. _This is so fucked up._ Her eyebrows furrowed.

"I can almost hear you thinking, Al." Piper's sleepy voice startled her.

"I'm sorry." She kissed her blonde hair. "Did I wake you?"

"You've been tossing and turning for a while now. What's bothering you?" Piper looked down at her with worry.

"I can't really talk about it, Pipes." Alex kissed her lightly. "I'll go and read some in the kitchen. It will tire me down. Sleep." She started to get up but she felt her girlfriend tighten her grip on her waist.

"Stay." She kissed her collarbone.

"Okay." Alex relaxed on the bed again. She loved the warm embrace of her girlfriend. It always managed to calm her down.

"Okay." Piper repeated after her and kissed her other collar bone, lingering there a bit longer than previously. Then, she slowly made her way up Alex's neck, kissing all the sweet spots on the way. She was starting to caress the brunette's jaw, when she heard her whisper something. "What?" She looked down at her with a smile.

"I asked what you were doing." Alex smiled up at her.

"Oh… that?" She kissed her sensually in the corner of her mouth. "Helping you calm down." She kissed her lips.

"Oh… that." Alex chuckled. "I think you're making me feel just the opposite of calm, kid."

"Just relax." Piper whispered before sucking on the brunette's pulse point. Her heart was starting to race and Piper could feel that by how the blood was pumping in her veins. She loved it when she could do that to Alex. Each time it filled her with pride, to be able to turn the brunette into mush within minutes. Her hand travelled up Alex's toned torso until it cupped her ample mound. "God, how I love your breasts." She whispered as she sucked on Alex's nipple through her t-shirt, evoking a long moan from the brunette. Piper stayed in that lovely place, caressing every square millimeter of Alex's body until she was squirming underneath her. She slid her hand under Alex's waistband and cupped her core gently.

"Oh, god…" Alex bit her lower lip to keep herself from moaning at the top of her lungs. She was on fire.

"Just relax, baby." Piper kissed her deeply as she started drawing little circles on her pulsing clit. Slow, purposeful, little movements that were making Alex go higher and higher, slowly but surely. Piper didn't mean to tease this time. She knew what the brunette needed and she was willing to grand her just that. She could feel her pulsing, seeking more contact. She slid two of fingers into her girlfriend's dipping core. The muscles tried to keep her there possessively but she was having none of that. She continued to slide them in and out, making sure to press her fingertips onto that spongy magic place on Alex's front wall and soon she could feel the muscles clamp down on her fingers hard. Pulsing with sweet release. Piper prolonged it by drawing little figures eights onto Alex's clit until she felt her girlfriend being completely spent.

Alex was still trembling and breathing deeply when Piper gathered her back in her arms. She kissed her lightly on the temple. "Better?" She asked quietly smiling to herself.

"Mhm." Alex just murmured. She buried her head into the crook of Piper's neck, breathing her scent deeply. She loved it. Even though tonight it was mixed a bit with the smell of that funny liquid. Alex didn't mind, though. Soon she was out.

– – – –

 _5 weeks later_

Piper was adding finishing touches to her last painting. She was anxious and excited at the same time. Finally, her first collection of paintings was ready to see the world… Or rather to be seen by it. One of her professors was highly impressed by her skills. A few weeks ago she had asked the blonde whether she would like to put her paintings on display in the professor's small gallery in downtown and of course Piper was super happy to do just that.

That's why she had been super nervous and giddy for the last two weeks. She had to have everything ready. Soon. Also her and Polly's business had finally really started. They had sold some of their soap to local shops and now they were talking with the representatives of a small chain of B&Bs. Shortly speaking, Piper was hella busy nowadays. Having a deadlines made her extra stressed and she was glad that Alex was able to cope with that version of Piper, too. In fact, the brunette was a great support and would calm her down and encourage her every time there was some drama on the horizon. It made Piper love her even more each day.

Now at least the paintings were finally done. One more week and there would be her opening night. Just thinking about it made her happy and excited and nervous all at once again. Piper felt that finally somebody had noticed her as an artist and it thrilled her to bits. She planned a lovely dinner for her girlfriend as a thank you gift this evening. No, she would not cook herself but she knew a wonderful place where she could take Alex out and that's exactly what she was planning to do. She decided to text her to make sure she would be free tonight. The brunette had also been busy at work, even more now than ever before. It seemed that Caputo made it a challenge for himself to find for the brunette the most time-consuming tasks. Just to keep her away from the strangler case. His technique had worked because finally Alex stopped showing her head in her boss's office just to ask about it. Now she rather avoided the man, fearing his new ideas.

Piper: [What time will you be home tonight?]

She smiled when she heard an immediate answer.

Alex: [6ish? Unless Caputo finds my ass down here in the archive. PS Yes, I'm hiding.]

Piper laughed at her girlfriend. Yep, she had had enough of his boss's ideas. Definitely.

Piper: [I'm taking you out for dinner.]

Alex: [Yey! Wear something sexy. :)]

"That's the plan, Ms. Vause." Piper chuckled to herself. She was happy that they would finally manage to get some time together. Lately it had been quite hard with their crazy schedules.

– – – –

Alex was sitting on the floor next to a big pile of old documents from the 1990s. She was reading the reports on cases similar to the strangler case. It was almost 5 o'clock which meant that her shift would be over soon and she would be free to head back home to her girlfriend. She was only praying that Caputo wouldn't find her here or anywhere at all that day. Lately the old guy had been quite creative with giving tasks to Alex. Poor Stella, just because she was her partner, she had to endure this as well. She didn't complain but still…

She felt her best friend sit down next to her.

"What's up?" Alex asked casually but all she heard in return was a groan. "That bad, huh?" She chuckled.

"If he forces me to drive all the way across the city to bring him a report that turns out can be downloaded, I will fucking put a gun to his head. I sear." Stella stated grimly and Alex laughed.

"Well, it's still better than making us take kids' tour around the station." Alex reminded her happily.

"Since when are you in such a good mood?" Stella eyed her.

"Oh shut up. I'm just trying to survive."

"And it has nothing to do with a certain blonde that you've been just texting?" The shorter brunette laughed and Alex punched her lightly to the ribs.

"Fuck off, shortie."

Stella was about to answer her but her phone started to ring like crazy. When she looked at the display she groaned loudly and Alex just chuckled. Caputo.

"Fucking shit." She moaned with annoyance. "Carlin." She picked up with a nice voice and Alex started to make faces at her and laughed quietly. Yes, suddenly she was aware that Stella wasn't laughing or trying to flip her off. She was listening intently to what was being said and it spiked Alex's interest.

"What?" She tried to find out what was going on. "Put him on loudspeaker." And Stella did just that.

" _Get your ass to the conference room ASAP."_ Caputo's voice was loud and clear now.

"What's going on?" Alex asked agitated.

" _Good. You're there too, smartass."_

"Smartass?" Stella was confused.

" _Yeah, you to hit the jackpot. We've got the DNA results. Get. Here. NOW."_

"Oh fuck…" Both Alex and Stella said at the same time. The hunt was on.


	22. Chapter 22

– 22 –

Piper was extremely nervous. She had been waiting for Alex for way over two hours but the brunette was nowhere to be seen. Zero information from her and Piper was also unable to reach her. The brunette ignored her phone calls and didn't even bother to answer to her multiple text messages. The blonde was sure something must have happened and the not knowing what was slowly making her go crazy. She even considered going to the station to find out what was wrong but then figured that they might miss each other on the way so now Piper was sitting by their kitchen table which was full of cold food and warm wine. She considered drinking some of it anyway but then again maybe she would have to drive somewhere soon?

Piper huffed in frustration. This evening was supposed to be theirs and theirs only and yet again their plans were ruined. It had been an often occurrence lately and this fact also saddened the blonde. She simply missed Alex. She missed their careless banter, her delicate… and not so delicate touches. Both of them had been extremely busy recently. And really, Piper could understand everything that was going on with her girlfriend but not calling back, ignoring her even though the brunette must have known that Piper would be going out of her mind, infuriated the blonde. For the first time since they became an actual item, Piper was pissed at the other woman. She dialed Alex's number once again only to hear the same annoying tone indicating that she should leave a message. She had already left a goddamn message… dozen of them, in fact. Trying to call Stella was equally useless since she also seemed to forget that she owned a fucking phone.

"I fucking hate this…" She whispered to herself angrily and finally got up to clean the table. It was pretty obvious to her by now that no one would be eating the food that she had prepared. At least not tonight. She was slowly putting everything into the fridge when a lonely bottle of cold beer caught her eye so she decided to comfort herself with the golden liquid instead of wine. It was still much less alcoholic than the other beverage and would help her relax a bit without actually getting drunk. She wanted to avoid being intoxicated. Drunk and angry Piper was never a good combination and only turned her into a total asshole.

She slumped onto their bed with a beer and a book. Perfect match to numb her over-thinking mind. If she couldn't talk to Alex immediately and find out what was going on, she was hoping to stir her thoughts into different direction. Good literature usually helped with that… Well, usually… Yet it seemed that tonight it wasn't the night when it would work and after about half an hour Piper closed the book with a thump.

"Fucking hell." She growled and tried to call Alex again… with the same result. She started scrolling down her contact list wondering if she had numbers to any other cops from her girlfriend's department. They had gone partying various times within the last months but she didn't remember whether she had got any contact information to any other person except Stella. Her heart soared when she saw that she had Healy's number somehow. She forgot ever taking it from him but she didn't care. She pushed 'dial' immediately with a little glimmer of hope simmering in her chest. Unfortunately, that uplifting feeling was soon gone when the forensic guy's phone was equally dead as Alex's and Stella's. This only made Piper more worried. What the hell was going on? It looked as if suddenly everybody was gone. Maybe another body had been found? But then Alex and Stella wouldn't be on the team which was sent to the crime scene. It wasn't their investigation anymore and if fact Caputo made it clear that both women were to be nowhere near anything that was connected with the case.

"What if something happened to one of them?" This thought mortified Pieper, forcing an icy-cold shiver go down her spine. She needed to do something, find out what was going on. Now her anger was replaced with dread. Why didn't she think about it immediately? Of course something might have happened to Alex or Stella. They were fucking police officers on duty after all. Piper's brain was running various scenarios of what could have possibly go wrong and right when she was about to turn into full blast panic mode, an idea crept into her mind. Of course! Why the hell didn't she do it in the first place?! She grabbed her phone again and searched the internet for the number of that specific police station and soon she was connected with the precinct.

"Midtown Precinct South, how can I help you?" She recognized Boo's voice and she blew a long breath of relief. The woman would tell her everything she needed to know. Boo had always been straightforward with the blonde.

"Hey, Boo… It's me, Piper…"

"Well, hello, Blondie!" Piper could hear a wide smile in her voice. "Should've asked me for my number instead tracking me down on the official line." Boo chuckled but Piper wasn't in the mood for joking. On the other hand… If Boo was up for some friendly banter, nothing bad could have happened to Alex. Right?

"Boo, is everything alright there? I wasn't able to reach Alex for hours now and I grew worried."

"Alex? She didn't call you?" Boo was surprised. "Well, maybe she didn't really have the time. Don't worry, sweetheart. She's super busy right now in the conference room. We've got that motherfucker but if anyone asks you didn't hear it from me, OK?" She laughed.

Piper was perplexed. Got that motherfucker? What did she mean… And then it finally hit home. "You've got the strangler?" She asked excitedly.

"Sure we do. Although I'm not so sure Alex is entirely happy about it…" Boo stopped herself from saying anything more. She really should be discussing this with anyone yet. She could even get fired for that, probably. "Listen, I'll let your sexy girlfriend explain everything when she gets home, OK?"

"Thanks, Boo." Was all that Piper managed to whisper and she hung up the phone.

What did the cop mean that Alex wasn't so happy about it? Of course the brunette must have been relieved that that horror was finally over and that no innocent girl would die anymore. What could be possibly not good about it?

– – –

"So he's already been arrested?" Alex asked Caputo. Her brows were furrowed and her voice was a bit shaky but surprisingly she was able to contain her anger and frustration. Fucking Pornstash… How Alex wished she could get her hands on him. Maybe it was a good decision to get her out of this investigation because the brunette now wasn't so sure whether she wouldn't choke that bastard to death, no matter the consequences she would have to face afterwards.

"He's being transported to his lovely jail cell as we speak." Caputo smiled, his eyes lightening up. He sure as hell was proud of his team. Even though Alex had been taken off the case, she still turned out to be the one solving it all. Call it hunch, call it fate… He didn't care. All he knew was that the brunette turned out to be a magnificent detective and he was positive that the future held a lot of good things for her in this department. It was a pity really that he couldn't promote her for this because officially she was not responsible for this bust. Bennett would take all the praise but Alex seemed to be perfectly fine with that. As long as they all made sure that George Mendez would never see a clear sky without bars blurring his vision, Alex was okay with everything.

"So what now?" Somebody else from the room asked their boss but it was Healy who addressed the question.

"The DNA results confirm without any shadow of a doubt that Mendez is responsible for at least one of the murders." Alex's jaw clenched upon hearing Healy's calm voice. She knew perfectly well which victim he was referring to. Stella just looked at her with worry in her eyes but the tall brunette managed to grasp her own feelings under control. Now wasn't the time to be emotional. They fucking got him. Now they needed to push him to talk.

"So basically we've got him tied up to only one victim. That's all we got but it's a lot already. The rest is a matter of interrogation. Mendez must confess." Bennett stated.

"And how are you planning to coax a confession out of him? I'm sure he's not going to talk with any of you." Alex was adamant to find out as much as she could about the team's plans. Of course, she wouldn't be allowed to meet Mendez, and that was actually good for obvious reasons, but she really wanted to make sure that the man wouldn't end up walking free because some legal fuck up.

"He doesn't know what we have on him yet. I think when we show him the DNA results, he will realize that there's no point in denying any of the other murders and his involvement in them." Bennett simply said and Alex couldn't believe her own ears.

"You're kidding, right?" She looked at him with raised eyebrows. She moved her sight to Caputo. "He is kidding, right?" She asked her boss.

"Well…" Bennett started again but was soon stopped by the brunette.

"He's an ex-cop, Bennett. He won't tell you shit. He knows how it works and he also is aware that we don't have anything connecting him to the other murders. Now that we know it's him, we must go back to those cases and look again. Maybe we can find something incriminating, leading directly to him." Alex was agitated.

"We?" Bennett raised his eyebrow as well now and a small smile was tugging at his lips which only fused Alex's anger further and if it wasn't for Caputo, the brunette would probably jump her colleague.

"Alex, leave it to us, OK? _I've_ got this. Don't get involved." Caputo stated in order to placate the detective and Alex just stared at him as if she wanted to murder him as well. Being forced to just stand by and observe all the action from a distance proved to be much harder now at the final stage of the investigation. Yet, she did all she could to refrain herself from any further comments. She knew that Bennett was a good cop and Caputo would stir him in the right direction. The less she talked, the safer it was for the whole team. She and Stella shouldn't be at the conference at all, actually.

It took over two hours for the team of investigators do discuss every aspect of the case. They developed several strategies and Alex just kept her ears open. Not getting involved was difficult but she was adamant not to screw everything up. There was only one thing she needed to discuss with Caputo but she had to wait until the meeting was over because she wanted to talk to the man in private.

When everybody gathered to leave the big conference room, Alex caught up with her boss.

"Joe, can I talk to you for a minute?" She whispered so that only him and Stella could hear it.

"What about?" He looked concerned as if he was expecting some trouble from the brunette again.

"Maybe in your office?"

Caputo nodded his head and the worried expression on his face only deepened. If Alex wanted to talk in private, it couldn't be anything good and it must be connected with the strangler case. He really didn't want her to get any more involved than she had already been. This wasn't good for the whole investigation and Alex knew about it so Caputo had a little bit of enough of it all.

"What is it?" He asked without any further delay as he sat down in his old chair. Stella was already seated as well but Alex remained standing. It wasn't going to be a long conversation and she was in a hurry to get home, but she really needed to say something out loud.

"It wasn't me who came up with the idea of DNA comparison." Both Caputo's and Stella's eye-brows raised in surprise, although for different reasons.

"Okay…" The man wasn't sure how to react to Alex's revelations.

"It was Stella's idea."

"It was _our_ idea, Alex." Stella interrupted her friend.

"No… No, it wasn't. You proposed it first and I hadn't really thought about it before that."

"It doesn't matter." The shorter brunette started again.

"Yes, it does." Alex turned to face Caputo. "So there, I just wanted you to know. You've got a pretty good cop in front of you." She grinned at her boss and friend.

"As far as I'm concerned, I've got two good cops in front of me." He smiled at her and then turned his sight to Stella. "Good job, kid. Really good job." Alex couldn't stop herself from chuckling when she saw a bright red blush spreading on Stella's cheeks and neck. "Now, get the fuck out of here." Caputo laughed and practically threw them out of his office.

They were walking down the long corridor towards the exit of the building when Stella finally found her voice.

"Why did you do it?" But Alex just looked at her confused. "Why did you tell Caputo it was my idea?"

"Because it was." She didn't pay much attention to what Stella was saying. She was too busy scrolling down all the messages that she had got from Piper and the number of unanswered phone call really made her blood run cold. Did something happen?

"Thank you." Stella smiled at her.

"Fucking shit!" Alex stopped in her tracks when it dawned on her that she had completely forgotten about the dinner date she had arranged with her girlfriend. There was so much going on…

"What?" Stella was dumbfounded.

"What?" Alex was perplexed at Stella's question as well.

"I'm thanking you and you use the F-word? Seriously?" The shorter girl was laughing now. "Something in the line of 'you're welcome' would be better, I guess." She chuckled.

"Yo, Vause. Your girl was looking for you." They both turned around when they heard Boo's loud voice behind them.

"I know." Alex whined. "I'm so fucked." She stuttered as she dialed Piper's number again.

"Well… I'm afraid that fucked you will be not today, my friend." Boo chuckled making Stella laugh out but Alex just glared at the both of them and threw them a finger as she started to head towards the exit.

"See you tomorrow, assholes." She said over her shoulder.

– – –

She run up the stairs and into her apartment with the deepest worry in her chest. She hadn't been able to reach Piper on her way back home. The blonde simply hadn't answered her phone and Alex thought that it served her right. After all, she herself also ignored her girlfriend through most of that day and even though it was unconscious behavior, the brunette was sure that it must have infuriated the other woman beyond any limit.

She was ready to face Piper's wrath (oh yes, the blonde had a talent at throwing tantrums when she was particularly upset, Alex had managed to learn that by now) but all that she faced when she entered their apartment was semi-darkness. The only light in the room was coming from the street lamps down below but it was enough for the brunette to make out a dark silhouette on the bed. Alex took a fast glance at her watch only to realize that it was actually way past 10 pm. How the hell was it possible for the time to fly so fast? She was upset at herself. Oops, she did it again. Didn't come back home at a decent hour and to make the matters even worse this time she actually promised Piper to be back early. She felt a heavy weight of guilt hit her hard.

Alex took off her jacked and boots quietly and put them on the floor since she wasn't able to see the coatrack and didn't want to risk tipping it over and startling her girlfriend. She crept slowly to the bed and slid in beside Piper without stripping her clothes. She didn't want to wake her but she wanted to hug her, be close to her, feel her pleasant warmth, even if she felt that she didn't deserve any of it at the time being.

"You're here." Piper whispered sleepily when she felt Alex's arms slide around her waist protectively and the blonde squeezed her girlfriend's forearms even tighter. The detective kissed the nape in front of her lovingly. "I've missed you." Piper slowly turned around in Alex's embrace and kissed her girlfriend's lips. "I was worried sick about you." The blonde pouted.

"I am so, so, _so_ sorry, Pipes." Alex whispered apologetically looking straight into Piper's eyes in search for any spark of anger there but all that she could see was worry and adoration and it actually made the brunette feel even more guilty about her stupid, thoughtless behavior. "I promise I will never, ever do it again." She kissed the corner of Piper's mouth.

"You better not… Half of your colleagues must thing your girlfriend is a crazy stalker or something by now." Piper chuckled and Alex laughed a bit with her.

"Yeah, well. Boo told me you called."

"I was worried. Don't you ever _fucking_ to that again." A little flare of anger crossed Piper's pretty face when she said that but soon her features softened again. "Are you OK?" She asked back to being concerned.

"Yeah. We've got him."

"I know."

"Boo told you?" Alex raised her eyebrows in surprise. This shit was confidential for now… Well, then again Alex had just told her as well so…

"Don't tell her that I told you that she told me." Piper said quickly. She totally forgot that she had promised the other cop not to tell anyone that she knew about the case being solved.

"Complicated sentence, Pipes." Alex chuckled. She wasn't angry at her colleague. She probably had been just trying to explain the situation and why Alex had been unable to contact her. Boo had actually had her back again, like so many times before. The brunette felt utterly lucky to have such good friends at work.

"Are you hungry?" Piper finally asked.

"Mmm… Yes." Alex purred before kissing the blonde lustfully.

"I wasn't asking about _that_." The blonde giggled between kisses.

"But you're like my food… I can't survive without you." Alex whispered jokingly.

"That was… so cheesy." Laughter boiled out of the younger girl.

"Asshole." Alex kissed her again and she would continue to do just that if she hadn't been stopped by her growling stomach. The fact was that the detective really hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and her body obviously had decided to express that in the most inappropriate moments.

"And you're a liar." Piper chuckled and started to get up from the bed.

"Where the hell you thing you're going?" Alex whined as she was trying to keep her girlfriend in horizontal position but Piper had none of it. After all, she did promise her lover a splendid dinner. Now it wasn't so splendid anymore since it would need some heating up but that wasn't her fault so the blonde didn't really feel so bad about it.

"C'mon, grumpy." She looked down at the brunette who was now sporting a pout on her face. "And enough with the cute face. If you're nice, maybe you'll get some dessert later." Piper wiggled her eyebrows which earned her a happy squeal from Alex. "So mature." The blonde laughed.

Piper prepared their meal and brought it to the table. She also poured them some fine wine that she had managed to find on her way from the university. She had heard about that great wine shop from one of her professors and she had finally decided to give it a try. Upon taking the first sip from her glass, Alex moaned at the exquisite taste spreading on her tongue and Piper could feel her insides clutch at the sound of it. God, she loved that woman so much.

"It's perfect, Pipes." She smiled at her with bright eyes.

"You're perfect." The blonde retorted.

"Look who's cheesy now." The brunette grinned and Piper just stuck her tongue at her. "Save it for later." This time Alex's come back forced a laugh out of her.

"So you guys got him, hmm?" Piper asked after they'd finished their meal. She was dying to find out more about the strangler case, especially after what Boo had said over the phone. Why would Alex be upset about the turn of events? The brunette wanted the killer in jail even more than anyone else. So what was the problem?

"Oh yes, we did." Alex's face clouded with mixed feelings.

"We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, Al." Piper squeezed her hand lovingly.

"It's OK. I'm happy that he will finally get what he deserves but something seems not to be right here."

"What do you mean?"

"I think my judgment might be clouded by my very personal approach to this all. Not only one of the victims was my close friend but also the killer turned out to be someone I know very well." Alex gulped her wine.

"What?" Piper's eyes widened in shock. "What do you mean? Where do you know him from?"

"He's my ex-partner." Another large sip of wine. It seemed that Alex really needed to numb her brain tonight but Piper decided not to comment on that.

"Shit." Was all that the blonde was able to utter after hearing the staggering news.

"Shit, indeed." Alex chuckled darkly.

"I'm so sorry to hear that, Al."

"Let's not talk about it anymore." The brunette smiled at her girlfriend. "It is what it is." She squeezed her hand back. "How have you been doing lately? It seems that we haven't really talked for a while." She lifted her hand and kissed her palm evoking a bright smile from the blonde.

"Everything's been going great. The exhibition is coming up and I'm so excited." Piper's eyes lightened up just about thinking about her art soon to be presented to the world and Alex loved that expression on the blonde's face. Pure astonishment at the fact that she, Piper Elisabeth Chapman, was going to finally make in the big world of art. Well… Maybe that was too much to say but to her it really felt that way.

"I'm so proud of you, baby." Alex stated as she poured them another glass of wine. "Let's drink to that." She lifted her glass and Piper did the same. "To the most talented and wonderful woman. Your art show is going to be a smashing hit." The brunette grinned with full of enthusiasm. She was really proud of her girlfriend. She had been working so hard recently and Alex truly believed that Piper deserved all the success and accomplishment in the world.

"Thank you, Al." Piper blushed and kissed her girlfriend lovingly. Alex let the kiss grow steadily until it was fairly heated and left them both gasping for more. They both missed each other tremendously. "Ready for the dessert?" Piper chuckled.

"More than ready." The brunette murmured against her lips and dragged her back to bed.

They stumbled down onto the sheets with giggles. Alex always felt so careless when she was around her girlfriend and she loved that feeling more than anything. Piper was her escape, her safe place, her sweet love bubble. She kissed her passionately as she started to unbutton her own shirt. She couldn't wait to feel Piper's skin on her own. The blonde helped her unbuckle her jeans and slid them down together with her panties.

"Impatient much?" Alex chuckled at her.

"Shut up and fuck me." Piper's statement full of lust and want shut her up immediately. Instead of teasing the blonde, Alex got rid of her girlfriend's clothes in a record time. It had been a while, a long while in fact, since they last had been intimate. Their life had been quite hectic nowadays. Alex's fingertips tingled just at the pure thought of finally being able to touch the blonde. Her heart was racing and she loved every second of it.

She laughed in surprise when Piper suddenly flipped them over and pushed Alex flush onto the pillows. She continued to kiss her deeply as her hands started to roam the brunette's body boldly. She squeezed her breasts before drawing patterns onto her ribcage and when Alex thought that Piper wasn't going to touch her nipples, a fact which was making her crazy with need, the blonde twisted them lightly with her fingers and Alex was simply unable to contain the sensual moan escaping her throat.

"God, I love you so much like this." Piper whispered hotly against her lips.

"I love you more like this." Alex managed to chuckle with a sly grin which earned her another twist from Piper's fingers, this time a little harder and it made the brunette hiss as the utmost pleasure spread down her body.

Piper started to kiss down her neck, leaving little bites here and there. She was gradually going lower and lower down her girlfriend's squirming body when suddenly they heard Alex's cell phone going off. The blonde lifted her head and looked at Alex with quizzical expression.

"Ignore it." The brunette panted before capturing her lips with her one once again. She was too riled up to care about the stupid phone. Damn, she was too worked up to care about the whole fucking world. All she wanted right now was Piper and Piper only. Especially that now the blonde was gently sucking on her left breast as her talented hands were going down her body and dangerously near her center. Oh god, how she craved her touch…

Another ringing which they ignored.

And then another.

Alex couldn't ignore that anymore so she grabbed her phone without checking the display with the aim of getting rid of whoever was calling as fast as she could.

"The fuck do you want?" She spitted into the receiver as she tried hard to concentrate on her breathing. Which wasn't that easy considering the fact that now Piper's tongue was doing delicious circles around her belly button and was slowly heading in the direction of her aching pussy.

"I guess you did get fucked after all." She heard Boo's laughter on the other end and she patted Piper's arm to stop her girlfriend for a second. She took a steadying breath to calm herself down.

"Why are you calling me?" Piper's eyebrows furrowed at Alex. Something was up.

"He wants to talk to you."

"Who wants to talk to me?" Alex's mind was still a bit fuzzy.

"Jesus fucking Christ. Vause, get down from cloud number nine and think." The brunette rubbed her eyes with the palm of her other hand and when Boo didn't hear any reaction from she chuckled. "God, I'm almost sorry to having interrupted you. But seriously… Pornstash wants to talk to you. Now."

"Fuck."

"Is that the answer to what I said or what Piper did?" Boo laughed again. "OK, I don't wanna know. Just get here."

Alex ended the call and looked apologetically at her girlfriend.

"That's ok…" Piper kissed her belly button which was the closest body part to her since she was lying with her head on Alex's stomach. "We'll finish when you get back." She smiled up at her but Alex's mind was already busy with wondering what the fuck would George want from her.


	23. Chapter 23

\- 23 -

Alex was sitting in her car. She had drove to the station immediately after Boo's phone call but now that she was there, her nerves were starting to show so she decided to take a little breath and calm down her heart rate. She was pretty sure that Pornstache would make it speed up again the moment she saw him. She was wondering what the man wanted from her. If he had counted on any help coming from her, he was going to be sorely disappointed. In fact, Alex would have to fight hard not to punch him in the face the first second she walks into the interrogation room.

She got out of the car and lit the cigarette. She knew that Piper wouldn't be happy about her coming back to the old habit but Alex had been living in such stressful environment now that she simply needed to take a puff from time to time. It helped her relax more. Besides, she hardy ever did that at home. It's not that she was afraid of what her girlfriend would say. Piper did see her with a cigarette in her hand on a few occasions. Alex simply didn't want to worry the blonde. The younger girl was smart enough to notice that the detective run for the cigarettes only in times of stress. On the other hand... From all the stimulants that Alex used to have a problem with, cigarettes were the least troublesome. Especially that the brunette had an ambitious plan to quit smoking when the world turned a bit calmer again.

She looked at the gloomy building in front of her and took the last deep puff before throwing the bud into the trash bin and entering the station.

"Here we go..." She whispered to herself when she entered the corridor that she knew so well. At this time of the night it was fairly empty. Only a few people had the 'pleasure' to be granted a night shift and apparently Boo was one of them. Alex saw the woman sitting by the reception desk, which surprised her a lot. Something must have happened if Caputo decided to force Boo to take the calls. There was no way in hell that the cop volunteered. Everybody knew it was one of the most daunting tasks ever.

"Hey, Boo... What did you do?" Alex couldn't help a light chuckle leaving her mouth. "Did you piss off the old man?" She grinned.

Boo's facial expression was painted with mock indifference. "I do not know what you are talking about, Vause." She calmly stated and Alex chuckled some more because now she was sure more than ever that her friend had in fact annoyed Caputo somehow. "I did piss you off, though." Boo grinned at her.

"I do not know what you are talking about, Boo." Alex answered with the same mock indifference on her own face, which only made the shorter cop laugh out loud enough to make some heads turn their way.

"Your girlfriend is way too understanding, you lucky bastard."

"Well, she's just perfect, I guess." The tall brunette smiled at her friend. "Why does he want to talk to me?" Alex turned serious again. She knew why she was there and no funny small talk could make her forget that, unfortunately. "Did he say anything?"

Book just shook her head. "That's the whole point. He refuses to talk to anyone. He refuses to listen to anyone, covering his fucking ears even when they try to read him his rights. Fucking asshole, if you ask me." Alex's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She had expected the man to talk even too much. That had always been his annoying tendency – opening his mouth when no one cared about his opinion. Hearing that Mendez decided to play dumb and quiet was utterly unusual.

"Yet, he asked to speak to me? Or was that Caputo's idea?"

"No, Caputo had nothing to do with this. Pornstache requested you and only you."

"What number?" Alex asked as she slowly started to head in the direction of the interrogation rooms.

"They're in 5. Good luck."

Alex entered a little room adjacent to the interrogation room number 5. She saw Caputo and Bennet who were sitting by the console. Through the one-way mirror they all could observe Mendez. The man was sitting calmly by the table, his hands were cuffed.

"Why are his hands still in handcuffs?" The brunette asked and only then the two policemen noticed her.

"He wasn't so nice and well-behaved when we arrested him. In fact, he broke two chairs until now so we decided not to risk the other two." Alex was surprised again at hearing this. All of Mendez's behavior was strange, not something that the brunette had expected. OK, he could be quite intense and even violent but she doubted that he would pose a threat to anyone in a situation like this. He knew better than that and he would definitely not want to be charged with anything more than he had already been.

"Did he say anything?" She asked while she kept her eyes on the man on the other side of the mirror.

"Nope." Bennet sounded frustrated. "No matter what we say or show him, he refuses to listen."

"Did he ask for a lawyer?"

"Again... nope."

"What the fuck is he playing?" It was Alex's turn to grow agitated. Damn, and she even hadn't talked to the guy yet.

"I don't know, Alex. And thank you for coming here so fast." Caputo's face was oozing tiredness. It was the middle of the night after all. "He just specifically requested for you."

"Well, let's not keep him waiting anymore." Alex stated with much greater confidence than she actually felt. The fact was that she had to fight hard to stop her hands from shaking. Her own reaction made her angry and maybe only anger kept her sane right now.

She walked into the interrogation room with the same air of confidence that she had previously presented to Caputo and Bennet and she was silently praying that Mendez would buy it, too. Unfortunately, the sick bastard knew Alex pretty well. That's what happens when you spend several months working together day by day and some nights. You learn things about each other, even the things you wouldn't like anyone to know about you. Stressful situations helped learning each other's behaviors and reactions. It usually is a very good thing. To know each other so well. But here and now? Alex wished that she had never had any history with Mendez. Maybe that was what he was counting on? That Alex would be easier to play. It would be easier for him to mess up with her head.

Yet, when she finally had the occasion to look him in the eye, there was another surprise awaiting for her. She couldn't see any mischief in his sight, any annoying glimmer that used to be there before. Mendez looked tired. Broken even. Only now she noticed that his clothes were crumpled, his eyes bloodshot and his hair ruffled. His hands were shaking so much that it made Alex's own look as calm as ever.

"Alex." He whispered and tried to stand up but was quickly forced to sit down again since it turned out that his hands were not only cuffed but also adjoined to the table in order to make his movement limited. He really had had to throw a tantrum at them.

"Sit." Alex stated coldly. "I'm here."

"Thanks." His voice was hoarse and tired as well.

"Why did you make them get me here in such an ungodly hour?" She tried to sound pissed, letting him know that she wasn't a friend here. They had sopped being friends many years ago. He just stared at her for a second. "So?" She encouraged him to speak.

"I don't know what's going on, Alex. What the fuck is all of that?" He pointed at the one-way mirror. Now the frustration was showing its ugly head. He was not only exhausted. He was angry and confused and all of those feelings seemed genuine. _Stay focused, Vause._ Alex reprimanded herself.

"You have been arrested and charged with the murder of Tricia Miller." Alex calmly stated even though pronouncing the name of her friend cost her a lot of struggle and she fought hard for her voice not to quiver.

"Stop fucking repeating what everybody else here is telling me." He shouted at her suddenly. "I don't know any fucking Miller. Why the hell would I murder her?" He tried to stand up again but yet again was stopped by the chain. "You're charging me? Based on fucking what?" He asked when he landed on the chair with a thump.

"Don't tell me you don't remember Trish, you shithead." Alex growled. She knew the two of them had met numerous times even after Alex and Mendez were no longer partners. They definitely knew each other. "Blond hair, braids, tattoos. Rings a fucking bell?"

Mendez's eyes went wide in realization. "Your dope-head is dead?" He asked in disbelief and Alex got confused. Was it possible that he was such a good actor? "That was her name? Tricia Miller?" He asked still profoundly surprised.

"Don't play dumb, Mendez." Alex refused to get caught in his games. "You knew her well. You knew also that she found out something unpleasant about you."

"And you know fucking well that I never remember the names, especially of those drug addicts that we meet every fucking day. Who would remember those scumbags?" He whispered hotly. "Whoever you're looking for it's not me. Why would you arrest me in the first place? I had nothing to do with her ever since she got sober."

"She had your DNA under her fingernails." Alex stated coldly and watched for his reaction... which again surprised her since Mendez started to laugh. He fucking laughed! It made Alex's blood boil and she did all in her power not to punch him. Her fists were white and she was sure that there would be little nail marks in the palms of her hands.

"My DNA? Are you kidding me?" He continued to laugh.

"I wouldn't laugh if I were you." _Shut the fuck up if you want to keep your nose intact._ Controlling herself was getting harder by the minute. "Even if you don't tell us about the other girls, you're fucked. Your ass will end up in jail for a really, _really_ long time. Be happy if you don't get life sentence." She hissed at him.

"Are you all high in here tonight?!" He screamed. "The fuck is wrong with you people?! What girls?!" He was furious.

"Jennifer Grand, Anna Hopper... Do you want me to continue?"

There was a glint of realization in his eyes now. "The strangler's victims..."

"Bingo, my friend." Alex stared boldly in his face but she all she saw was more confusion.

"You think I'm the strangler?" He whispered in disbelief. "What?... Why?"

"You tell me why. Why did you kill them?"

He huffed in anger and Alex was sure that if he could, he would smash another chair, likely over her head. He was fuming. "The fuck is wrong with you people?!" He shouted again at her but what shocked the detective was the actual tears in his eyes. _The fuck?_

"Calm down, George." Her voice was even and cool even though she was trembling inside. "Take a breath and cool off." He did take a long deep breath and put his hands flat on the table, as much as the handcuffs allowed him. They were shaking even more than before. "Let's come back to Tricia Miller, OK?" She asked quietly and hoped that this time Mendez would answer her calmly instead of shouting out his own questions.

"OK." He whispered and suddenly he seemed defeated. It was almost 3 am. They were all exhausted. It had been a really, really long day.

"Did you kill her?"

"No." He managed to answer her clearly and without angry shouting, which was a good thing in Alex's eyes. "Do you believe me?" He looked at her with pleading eyes.

"No." Ale shook her head and Mendez clenched his hands into fists again but he remained calm.

"Why?" He asked still staring straight in her eyes.

"I've already told you. Your DNA matches to the one we found on Miller."

Mendez took another deep breath before asking another question. "And you've tested my DNA in her case because...?"

"You had deep scratches all over your hands and forearms."

Mendez laughed. He fucking laughed. And Alex felt her anger rise up again. "I'm sorry, I didn't get the fucking joke." She spat at him viciously. "What's so funny. Enlighten me."

"It's not funny, not really." He chuckled. "I was working in my mother's garden. How fucking cliché answer is that, huh? But that's the truth. Go and ask her. Even now."

It was Alex's turn to laugh. Fucker had the balls to say something stupid like that? Is he even for real? "Do you think I'm a fool?" She asked with amusement.

He turned serious again. "No, Alex, I don't think you're a fool... But someone is trying to make a fool out of you." He stated coldly with resignation tinting his voice. "And I'm fucked but you guys will be fucked even more when you realize you've got the wrong man." He looked straight in her eye without any hesitation. "You've got a killer in front of you, man, but it ain't me." He took another calming breath. "I want a lawyer."

"And that's the first smart thing you've said today." Alex didn't break the eye contact.

"Which one?" He quizzed right back without faltering but Alex was already too busy getting out of that stuffy room. Now she needed to take a calming breath... or two.

The conversation with Mendez didn't change what Alex thought about him. But it did sow the seeds of doubt about the whole situation. One should trust the science, right? And the science said that Mendez killed Tricia. Tested. Verified. Confirmed. Must be true, right? _Right?_ Hard core evidence had never failed her before. They had the best crime scene investigators in the country. A mistake was simply not possible. These samples were checked too many times to even think that something might have gone wrong.

Caputo was furious at how the whole interrogation looked. It didn't help them one bit and the fact that now Alex also had her doubts only made him more annoyed. There was no point in arguing with him and Bennet. Both of them believed that Mendez was simply playing with all of them and he chose Alex as his interrogator because he knew perfectly well that she would be the only one willing to even listen to his bullshit. The way that her boss described and explained the whole situation made the brunette even more confused. Of course, she was aware that Pornstache could be simply messing with her head. And she really wanted to believe that it was just one of his sick games... but on the other hand, her gut was telling her that something was extremely not right.

If science was always right, if you could always depend on science... then the only weak point here were the people who were doing the scientific magic. But then again... if Alex were to become suspicious towards the people who knew or had contact with the evidence and DNA, she had to become suspicious towards her own friends. The thought of that made a cold shiver run down her spine. She didn't even specifically know who knew about Mendez's DNA being tested. For sure Stella and Caputo, probably Healy. Who else? Some technicians? Investigators? Other police officers? Alex could slowly feel a tremendous headache gripping her skull. All of this made her sick and she had to sit down on a bench in front of the station.

The worst of it all was that even if she wanted to test her theories, she would have to talk to Caputo and he adamantly refused to believe that anything that Mendez said could be actually true. He was fixated on the idea that the ex-cop was the strangler. Trying to talk to him about it right now could land Alex's ass in troubles, big ones. If she was wrong, he would never forget all the havoc that a second investigation into the strangler case would bring. No, involving Caputo was not an option. She needed to find a better solution and she couldn't talk about to anyone, not even Stella. Alex wanted her partner to be safe in case something goes wrong. She didn't want the younger girl to risk her good opinion or even her career. This one was only on Alex.

"Why so gloomy?" She heard a familiar voice from above and when she looked up, she saw Boo's head sticking out of the window.

"Not gloomy. I just needed a minute of fresh air." Alex smiled up at her friend.

"If you wait for me five minutes, we can go and get some beer air at The Jeff's." Boo grinned. "Unless you want to run back to your girlfriend." She wiggled her eye brows.

"You know what? I could use a beer or two." Alex knew that with such state of her mind, she wouldn't be able to fall asleep anyways and Piper was probably already sleeping so disturbing her was useless as well. Besides, it's been a while since she had some fun with Boo and she was one of the best when it comes to drinking one's problems away. Caputo had given her a day off the next day so there was no problem with that either.

It was almost 7 am when Alex finally managed to get home. She wasn't drunk. Just a little tipsy and it was clear that she had been drinking. When she entered the apartment, she tried to be as quiet as she possibly could and she almost jumped out of her skin when she heard Piper's voice behind her back.

"Is it nice to be creeping back home at this ungodly hour?" She whispered right next to her ear.

"Jesus Christ..." Alex put her hand on her own chest as she tried to calm down her racing heart. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack, woman?" She chuckled at her girlfriend and her own funny reaction. She turned around to see Piper clad only in a big fluffy towel. She had obviously just taken a shower. "Why are you doing up so early?" She pecked her lips lightly.

"I couldn't sleep so I decided to go for a run." She kissed her a little less lightly. "You've been drinking."

"I couldn't sleep so I decided to go for a beer." Alex grinned down at her girlfriend.

"Smart-ass."

"You like my ass."

Piper squeezed her ass lightly and let our a purr of appreciation. "I _love_ your ass." She stated matter-of-factly which evoked a rich laugh from Alex. God, how she loved that blond cute girl in her arms. She always managed to turn even the most shitty day into something wonderful. And she didn't even have to try hard.

"Maybe you'd consider getting back into shower with me? You'd be able to see more of that ass." The brunette chuckled as she nuzzled Piper's neck and left a few sweet kisses there.

"Baby, I would love to but I can't." Piper was pouting now and for a moment she did look like a little girl whose candy had been stolen. "I must go with Polly to a meeting. It's super, very, extremely important." She was clearly quoting Polly. "Meaning? If I'm late, you'll have another murder case to solve... Although this one would be easy." She squirmed away from Alex's strong hold.

"When are you going to get home?" Alex hated that the blonde had to leave so early but she also understood that both her and Polly had been working very hard to get their company going. A whiny girlfriend wouldn't help so she decided to be like a supportive girlfriend instead. "I have a day off so... I can make us nice dinner and act all housewife today." She kissed Piper's cheek and grinned like a madman. _I'm probably still a little drunk._ She chuckled to herself.

"You, my dear bar-fly, need to take that shower and sleep a bit first. Then we can talk dinner."

"A bar-fly? Seriously?" Alex laughed.

"Yes. A bar-fly." She pecked her lips. "And I should be home by 4."

"Why so late?" Okay... Now that sounded like a whiny girlfriend a bit... But thankfully Piper didn't notice as she continued to explain her plan of the day, which indeed was quite busy. Apart from the meeting, she also had to go to the campus to meet one of her professors and she also had two classes there. Theoretically she should also go and help Polly with the soaps but she should be able get away with that. Alex sure hoped so. She simply missed her girlfriend. Recently they had hardly ever seen each other and it was slowly starting to bother the brunette. Of course, she was trying not to make a big deal out of it but still... It was hard.

Piper got herself busy getting ready for work and school so Alex finally forced herself to go to the bathroom and clean herself. It was much less fun without her girlfriend to help her but oh well... When she came back to the bedroom area, Piper had already been gone so the only thing that the brunette found herself wanting to do was to land flush on her bed and finally get some well-deserved sleep. She didn't even bother to crawl into her sleeping clothes. It was wonderful to shut her brain down. Finally.

"Oh my God... I can't believe it!" Polly squealed when they left the beautiful glass sky-scrapper. "We've got this!" She was almost jumping up and down with excitement and Piper was trying to hold her down. She didn't want them to look like two fools right now. Not here in front of the building of their future huge client.

Like really _huge_ client. The meeting that she had told Alex about wasn't just any meeting. This time she and Polly were talking to one of the biggest chain-stores in the country and they had just agreed to give their products a chance. They liked their soaps and bath oils enough to let Piper and Polly supply all their stores in the state... to start with, as they had said.

"This is so wonderful, Pipe!" And then the expression on Polly's face changed dramatically. "Oh my God... What if we can't do it? How the hell are we going to do it?" Her eyes widened with sheer terror. "Our production is too small!"

"Chill out. It's going to be fine. We've thought it through, remember? We'll just have to hire some people to help us out."

"OK, so after school get back to our office and we'll make the job-ad." Polly continued to walk briskly not noticing that Piper had actually stopped following her. It took her a few feet before she realized that the blonde was left behind. She turned around. "What?"

"Pols, I can't today."

"What?" Her best friend was obviously not impressed. "What the hell do you mean you can't?"

"I promised Alex to get home early today."

"I promised Pete a lot of things. So what?"

Piper took a deep breath to calm herself down. She really didn't want to make her friend angry or ruin the today's good mood but at the same time she knew that she simply had to come back home at a decent hour today. It had been ages since she an Alex had a full evening just to themselves. She missed her. It was that simple.

"Listen, tomorrow I can work even longer but today is not an option. I need to be home." Polly was about to cut in but Piper didn't let her. "You should also go home. One day is not going to make a difference. Stop panicking and enjoy your successful day, okay?" She smiled at her and after a moment of pondering Polly smiled again. She knew she had been exaggerating and Piper was right. One day wouldn't cause their failure.

"Okay. Run to your girl after classes. But tomorrow we'll be working our asses off. Understood?"

"Yes! Of course!" Piper hugged her tight. "OK, I gotta run or I'll be late." She kissed her friend goodbye and rushed to her car. She was excited and happy and... well... excited. Tonight was just for her and her lovely housewife. She chuckled to herself when she thought about Alex playing house. Hmm... She would look sexy just in a small apron. Piper grinned so much her cheeks hurt.


	24. Chapter 24

\- 24 -

Piper couldn't wait to get home. Finally, after days... damn, after whole weeks, she was _finally_ able to spend some normal time with her girlfriend. She really hoped that nothing was going to ruin her plans for the evening. A nice, calm dinner. A moment to simply talk to Alex, enjoy her company. That's all she dreamed about. Was it too much to ask for?

On her way home she bought some fine red wine and a cute bouquet of daises. She felt a little silly getting them, it wasn't really her thing to get flowers for someone, but this time she was in the mood to do something a little corny... and yet maybe slightly romantic. It was usually Alex who came up with such ideas and at some point Piper realized that in fact she had never given the brunette any flowers... or actually anything kinda-romantic like that. Today was different, though, and Piper was in a happy mood. She was more giddy the closer she was getting to their small apartment.

"Honey, I'm home..." She called jokingly upon entering their little home and she was immediately attacked with the most delicious smells she had encountered. "Oh my god, what are you cooking?" Piper rushed to the kitchen area and a radiant smile broke her face almost in halves when she saw her girlfriend. Alex was wearing simple yoga pants and a t-shirt. Her hair was in a messy bun and her glasses were on the top of her head. Without her makeup she looked completely relaxed. A few hours of sleep really did help her, or so it seemed. She was talking to someone on the phone while checking on something that was still in the oven and that thing smelled heavenly. The blonde felt her stomach rumbling loudly. She hadn't realized how hungry she had been until now.

When she heard her happy voice, Alex turned around to meet the person she was missing all day. Smiling, she held one finger up to indicate to Piper that she needed to wait a minute. Apparently, Alex must have been talking to someone important and additionally it was clear to the blonde that her girlfriend wanted something from that person because she was using her sweetest voice. Piper giggled when she heard that tone. Alex was basically flirting with that someone just to get them to do something Alex wanted. The blonde had to admit that the detective had a talent at that... Making people eat out of her hand whenever she needed a favor.

" _Thank you Emma. You're an angel. I owe you."_ Alex purred into the receiver and Piper had to do all in her power in order not to laugh out loud. She smiled at the brunette fondly and raised one of her eyebrows.

"Hi, baby." Alex hugged Piper tightly right after finishing the call. She pecked her lips. "You're early." She smiled, obviously satisfied at the fact that the blonde had managed to finish her classes earlier than she had planned.

"Should I be worried? Do I have some competition that you're not even willing to hide from me?" Piper laughed finally and Alex just chuckled.

"Nah, babe. You're unbeatable." She kissed her again, this time letting herself taste Piper's lips a little longer.

"Here. I've got something for you." Piper was first to break free and she showed Alex the flowers. She surprised even herself when she felt a warm blush creeping up her neck. "I thought you might like it." She added sheepishly.

The brunette was surprised. She didn't remember anyone ever giving her flowers. Ever. It was a pleasant change. She hadn't realized that such a small gesture can warm up her heart like that so fast. Or maybe the point was that it was Piper who came up with this lovely gift. The blonde had the tendency to melt Alex's heart more and more each day, whether it was with a kind gesture, encouraging word or just simply being there for the detective. It seemed that nothing could stop her from sticking around without asking for anything in return.

"They're really beautiful, Pipes. Thank you." Alex kissed her full lips and felt the blonde smiling into the kiss. God, it was so good to have a day off, a day off to spend only with her wonderful woman. The thought made also Alex smile.

"You're beautiful." Piper whispered lovingly when their lips finally parted.

"And you're a bit cheesy but cute." Alex chuckled, which earner her a little shove into the ribs... which managed only to evoke even more giggles from the brunette. "Hungry?"

"Yes. Very." There was a glint in Piper's eyes when she uttered those words as she stared at Alex's lips. God, they were so, _so_ kissable. She couldn't help herself. She needed to taste them again. Now.

She surprised Alex with the amount of passion that just poured out of her and into their locked lips. Their tongues battled for dominance for a while but this time it was Piper who led that wonderful dance and Alex felt her knees buckle. It was a delicate move but still the blonde was able to feel it and knowing that she had such a wonderful effect on her girlfriend only fueled the burning fire within her. Piper kissed the corner of Alex's mouth and continued down her beautiful long neck. She loved the way her skin smelled. That sweet smell that managed to make her hands tremble slightly as she gripped the brunette's hips a bit more strongly and pulled her flush close to her. She could feel Alex's breathing increase and it made her own blood boil. She started to creep her hands under Alex's t-shirt, rising goose bumps along her skin as her fingers traveled higher and higher until they graced the material of Alex's bra.

"Baby..." Alex tried to speak but when Piper sucked at her pulse point, all that left the brunette's mouth was a breathy moan. She was lost for words and the next thing she knew was Piper getting rid of her t-shirt, leaving her just in her lacy black bra. Her nipples were straining against the material... But not for long. The blonde freed her from that piece of clothing in an equally swift manner and before Alex could marvel at how fast her girlfriend was becoming better and better at this, Piper's tongue was already circling one of her stiff buds, making her knees buckle way more strongly now. It was getting harder to stand on her own.

Piper sensed the brunette's struggle to keep herself in a vertical position and she gently pushed her back until Alex felt the kitchen counter behind her back.

"Up." The blonde whispered encouragingly as she quickly slid Alex's pants down together with her underwear. She felt her fingertips tingling as she dragged them along Alex's thighs up to her ribs and stopping only when she laid them comfortably on her girlfriend's breasts. She twisted her nipples lightly as she kissed Alex thoroughly. Her delicate touch mingled with a way more demanding mouth was a heavenly combination and the brunette's arousal grew tenfold in a nick of a second.

By the time Piper finally decided to leave a trail of open-mouth kisses down Alex's ivory neck, the brunette's lips were swollen and tingling with all the kissing and she was simply unable to contain a long moan leaving her strangled throat when the blonde finally had some mercy at her and sucked her nipple into her warm mouth. Alex mingled her fingers with the blond hair, massaging Piper's scalp and encouraging her to go on. She didn't remember being so turned on ever before. Ever. Maybe it was because it had been ages since they had last been intimate for real... At least it seemed so to Alex and now having her girlfriend paying all the extra attention to her body felt just amazing. Her hips buckled when Piper sucked on her right nipple particularly hard.

"Please, baby..." The brunette whispered longingly into Piper's ear.

"Shhh..." Piper just smiled to herself as she turned her attention to the other nipple. _God,_ how she had missed that. Alex. Her smell. Her taste. The sounds that she made. She felt her own core clench in need but decided to ignore it. She was starving and she would make sure to satisfy her hunger this time.

One of her hands traveled down south and didn't stop until it met the the trimmed patch of soft hair. Alex's hips buckled again against her will but before she could utter a single word, two of Piper's fingers slid gently through the folds.

"My God... You're _so_ wet, baby." The blonde whispered into Alex's ear as she continued to move her fingers up and down carefully gathering more and more of her girlfriend's wetness, teasing her relentlessly. She could feel Alex's whole body trembling with need. The grip in her hair getting stronger and Piper knew that her girlfriend was fighting the urge to push her down to the place she needed her the most. She kissed her hard again, swallowing her moans as the tip of her fingers started to circle Alex's pulsing clit. Piper knew that she was close, so close, right at the very edge but each time she was about to cross that heavenly border, Piper's movement slowed down, bringing her down a notch.

"Pipes, please..." Alex's voice was full of need. Piper didn't remember it ever being so desperate and she loved the sound of it. She loved it so much indeed that she decided to finally grand her girlfriend what she needed so badly.

She trailed her tongue down her muscled abdomen, sucking here and there and leaving small red marks on her girlfriend's sensitive skin. She knew that Alex secretly adored those little signs of their passion no matter how strongly she tried to deny that.

When Piper's eyes leveled with Alex's center, her nose was filled with the brunette's musky aroma. She couldn't contain a moan of her own. Her mouth watered upon the thought of what was about to happen. Alex's thighs were trembling in anticipation and Piper could see her glistening core pulsing with need. She didn't want her to wait another second, the brunette had been patient enough. So she took the plunge. Her senses went into overload. She was surrounded by Alex, her taste, her smell, her moans, and Piper thought she was in heaven. Finally.

Alex thought exactly the same – heaven is real. Piper's skilled mouth was heavenly. The detective was afraid that if Piper stopped or slowed down again, she would go crazy. Yet, her girlfriend didn't seem to have that in mind this time. Her tongue was lapping up and down her sensitive clit, sucking it into her velvety mouth from time to time, and with every suck and lick Alex could feel herself getting higher and higher. Just as she thought that this couldn't get any better, she sensed Piper's fingers circulating her opening and a long breathy moan left Alex's lips. _God,_ how she needed those fingers inside. Thankfully, her girlfriend didn't let her wait long this time and before Alex had the chance to encourage her, she felt two dexterous long fingers entering her.

Piper moaned loudly when she felt Alex's delicate walls hugging her fingers possessively, sending the vibrations deep into the brunette's core and evoking a beautiful gasp from her. Such sounds were Piper's favorite music of all. She started pumping her fingers carefully, bending them from time to time and stroking that special spot on Alex's front wall. She could feel that the brunette was near the edge but it seemed that she needed something more to cross that breath-taking border. Piper looked up at her girlfriend. Alex's eyes were shut tight, brows scowled, little drops of sweat covered her upper body and her breathing was heavy, almost as if there was not enough oxygen in the room. The sight took Piper's breath away but at the same time she made herself sure that there was something missing. Alex needed one little thing to get her over that glorious edge.

Piper raised to her full height, replacing her tongue with her skillful thumb, never stopping her fingers from pumping in and out. She kissed Alex deeply, making her taste herself on her lips.

"Oh God... Pipes..." The brunette managed to whisper, her voice quivering with feelings overwhelming her.

"Look at me." Piper found it highly surprising that her own voice sounded strong and sure. Hell, she was melting inside. She kissed Alex with even more force. "Baby, look at me."

Alex managed to open her green orbs with difficulty, her eye lids heavy.

"I've got you this time." Piper whispered millimeters form her needy lips. "Let it go."

When Alex felt Piper's lips connecting with her own in a deep kiss, her body collapsed, ridden with strong convulsions. She hugged the blonde close to herself and leaned on her, being totally unable to control her own body anymore.

"Oh God..." She moaned, her voice strained, hoarse. Her body continued to tremble astonishingly long and Piper did not stop her movements until she felt Alex engulf her in tight embrace. She was completely spent, her breath labored, body glistening with sweat.

"You OK?" Piper asked quietly after several minutes, still buried knuckles deep in her girlfriend. Alex's head was nestled in the crook of Piper's neck and the brunette was oddly quiet. All that would leave her plump lips were deep breaths as if Alex was learning how to use oxygen again. She was still trembling but a lot less than a minute before. Yet, she was still unable to utter a single word and Piper worried a bit. "Al?"

"Hmm?" The brunette mumbled and Piper chuckled. For the first time ever she had managed to fuck her girlfriend into oblivion. Usually, she was the one who had troubles with words after sex. This time though, Alex seemed to be still far away with her mind and Piper couldn't be more proud of herself. She kissed Alex's temple and slowly withdrew her fingers from the velvety heaven of Alex's body, making her moan weakly and tremble some more. Piper kissed Alex's neck tenderly and was about to leave more kisses down her shoulder when she realized that something smelled funny in the room.

"Al, something's burning." She said a little bit louder.

"Pfft... My braincells just fried." Alex didn't even bother to lift her head from Piper's shoulder and the blonde chuckled.

"No, really. You were cooking something when I came."

"You didn't come. I did." Alex laughed quietly. She lifted her head finally and grinned at Piper with a raised eyebrow, making the blonde laugh lightly.

"Yes. Yes, you did." Piper smiled at her. "But I think it would be wise if I turned off the oven right now."

"Yes, that would be wise." Alex kissed her thoroughly. "Because I've got different plans for my dinner after all." She whispered hotly as she pushed the blonde in the direction of their bed.

XxXxX

They were lying naked on the bed, their bodies close to each other. Alex's arm was around Piper's waist and she was hugging the blonde close to her. They were looking into each other's eyes with sleepy gazes. They were spent. Completely. Who wouldn't be after several hours of love making?

Piper's fingers were traveling Alex's back up and down lazily. She was smiling to herself, fully content at her present situation. She even forgot about the dinner altogether. All she needed right now was her girlfriend and her soft touch, and her sexy voice, and her intoxicating perfume, and...

"I love you." Alex whispered before kissing her softly.

"I know." Piper whispered back after their lips separated and Alex just smiled brightly at her.

"Good." The brunette's eyes were growing heavier and heavier.

"And I love you, too." Piper smiled at her. "So, _so_ much." She caressed Alex's cheek with all the love she could muster into a single touch.

"I know." Alex smiled sleepily.

"Good." Piper chuckled and kissed her lightly on the lips before snuggling even closer to Alex.

XxXxX

Alex woke up and took a look at the alarm clock standing next to their bed. Almost 7 am. She smiled to herself. It had been a while since she felt so wonderfully relaxed and alive. She looked down at the woman in her arms and chuckled quietly to herself. Piper's body basically covered her own. The blonde's arms were all over Alex's body, her legs intertwined, and Piper's face was buried into the crook of Alex's neck. She could feel her soft breaths caressing her delicate skin under her chin. She loved every second of this and the thought that the possibility of her waking up like this most of the rest of her days brought a genuine grin onto her face. She pecked Piper's temple lightly, careful not to wake her up. She knew that the blonde had to be at work at 9 o'clock but she figured that it would be okay to let her sleep a little bit longer. The fact that Piper's body felt so warm and comforting next to her own had nothing to do with Alex's decision to let her seep in a bit... nope, definitely nothing to do with that...

Unfortunately, their serenity was soon viciously disturbed by a shrill sound of Piper's cell phone. The blonde shot upright in the bed and started to sleepily search for the evil device, mumbling incoherently under her breath but all that Alex managed to distinguish from her words were a few 'fucks'. She giggled as she stretched her body in bed, not bothering to cover herself at all. A fact which caught Piper's attention immediately and judging by the way she licked her lips, she did enjoy the view.

" _Hey, Polly. What's up?"_ Piper tried not to sound annoyed. Her friend knew perfectly well how she badly she hated to be woken up like that so early in the morning.

" _I hope you're already showered and about to leave home."_ She heard her friend's frustrated voice and suddenly she remembered that she had promised Polly to be at their office earlier than usual to start the extra production. Piper looked at the clock with panic painting her beautiful features. _Fucking fuck..._

" _Of course, Pols. I'll be on my way soon."_ Piper stated fake-happily into the receiver. She ended the call and jumped out of the bed as if it was burning coils and started running around the apartment to gather her clothes. Within a minute she was speeding off to the bathroom, still cursing under her breath.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" She shouted from the shower.

"You were too comfy. I love your body serving me as a blanket." Alex chuckled. She was now standing in the doorway to their bathroom, still not bothered with putting any clothes on. "Besides, you didn't tell me you were supposed to be early at work today." She crossed her arms lazily.

"Would you mind putting on a t-shirt at least?" Piper smiled at her despite being in a super hurry. "You're distracting me." She winked making Alex laugh.

"You better move, babe. If a catch a shower with you, I'll be able to drive you to work. I have a meeting with someone soon, anyways." Alex joined her under the shower but before she could put her arms around her girlfriend, Piper had already shot out of the stall and started to dry herself off while she was trying to brush her teeth at the same time.

"I'm sorry, hon. No funky business today. I really, really need to be on time. Fuck, Polly's going to kill me." She rushed around the bathroom, throwing on clothes on herself and putting on some light make-up. "And I think I'll take my own car today since I have to go to the art gallery after work. There are still quite a few things we need to finish before the exhibition." She was buttoning up her shirt as she let her eyes linger on Alex's glistening body. God, how she wished she could stay home a little longer. Yet, one look at her cell reminded her that she really, _really_ needed to get going.

She stepped closer to Alex who was now drying herself off and pecked her lips sweetly. "I love you. See you in the evening."

"Love you, too." The brunette called after Piper who was already running towards the door, a loud slam indicating that now Alex was alone.

XxXxX

"You're late." Polly stated matter-of-factly upon seeing Piper rushing into their little workshop.

"No, I'm not." The blonde smiled at her friend as she put a cup of steaming coffee in front of her.

"And you're trying to buy my forgiveness with coffee." Polly stated again but she actually lifted the cup with dark liquid to her nose and inhaled deeply the aroma of freshly brewed coffee.

"Well... Is it working?"

"Maybe." The brunette chuckled.

"Good." Piper pecked her friend's cheek and moved on to her own station to start her work on the new mold of soap. She didn't want Polly to continue with the topic and she was silently praying to herself that she wouldn't insist on making her feel bad about actually being a bit late.

Just as she was setting herself to some real work, the door to their workshop flew open with a thud, startling both women inside.

"Yo, girls!" Nicky's loud voice made Piper jump almost to the ceiling.

"Nicky? What are you doing here?" She asked with a fare dose of surprise.

"I've heard you need an extra hand today." Nicky wiggled her brows, making Polly roll her eyes and laugh out loud.

"I called her yesterday, Pipes. I figured she could help us making the whole production process faster."

Piper threw some rubber gloves and an apron at her lion-haired friend. "Here. Put these on. You don't wanna ruin your clothes."

"Aww... I like getting all dirty." Nicky giggled happily as she put the gloves on with a slap. "So where do I begin?" She grinned.

Polly turned to face Piper. "On the other hand, now I don't think that was such a brilliant idea."

"Oh, fuck off, Pols. You know I'm able to prepare the best body lotions in the world."

"Soaps." Polly dead-panned.

"OR soaps." Nicky chuckled. "Whatever."

"It's going to be a long day." Piper laughed at Polly's discomfort. The brunette sometimes forgot how intimidating Nicky could be and all of her jokes and sexual innuendos made her slightly uncomfortable from time to time.

"A long day of fuuuuun." Nicky squealed happily as she dug her fingers into a wonderfully smelling mass of something that was to become soap soon. Polly just rolled her eyes again. Yep, a long day indeed.

XxXxX

Alex parked her car in front of a large building. It was a beautiful old mansion with a big garden full of colorful flowers and green lawns. There was even a small pond to the right and Alex knew that there were fish in it. She remembered it from the numerous visits she had payed to this house years ago. She was glad that there were no reporters in front of the building anymore. They had resigned coming here when there was information spread that the woman who lived there had traveled to another state in order to get some peace and quiet during this heated moment.

The brunette stepped out of her car and took a long deep breath. She wasn't sure whether what she was planning to do was a good thing. Maybe it would just complicate everything? What would Caputo do if he found out about this? Could Alex get her ass fired by this? She definitely hoped not. On the other hand, there was a really slim chance that her boss would find out about this visit and what it was all about. The only person that knew what she was going to do was Alex herself so...

She walked slowly to the door. After a while of hesitation she pushed the doorbell and waited. Finally, the door swung open and Alex was surprised to see the owner of the mansion in front of her. Usually there were other people around the house, the maids. This time the house did look quiet, though.

"Alex." The woman looked tired, exhausted even. It was clear that she hadn't slept a wink in days. "Please, come in." She opened the door further to let Alex pass. Now, there was no way to change her decision anymore. Alex would do what she had planned to.


	25. Chapter 25

_**[Thank you everyone for reading my story and leaving me so many kind comments. I'm very sorry for not updating for such a long time but I've been extremely busy nowadays. I promise to try and add new chapters more often from now on. Again, thank you for reading and all the support. :-)]**_

\- 25 -

Alex was sitting on a huge lavish sofa decorated with multiple fluffy pillows. She could feel slowly being swallowed by the soft piece of furniture and it made her uncomfortable. She really did feel like she was drowning. What the hell was she doing there? She was angry at herself for not being able to resist her own temptation, the urge to test her theory, but at the same time she didn't have any other choice. Every good cop had to follow their hunch, right? _Even if it could get you fired, Alex? Really?_

She huffed, annoyed at herself, and stood up. She heard the other woman preparing their coffees in the kitchen. That would probably be the first time that a professional cook wouldn't be responsible for the beverages and snacks. Alex wondered where all the people had gone. The house was eerily quiet and it caused an unpleasant shiver run down the brunette's spine.

She walked up to the now cold fireplace and looked at all the pictures on the mantelpiece. There was a little boy almost on all of them. Him holding a huge fish, him grinning at the camera together with some red-haired girl, him at a school graduation day, him in a cute black tuxedo. He seemed happy and careless like every child should be. The last photograph on the right presented a pretty handsome teenage boy with dark hair and the body of a sportsman. There was a gold medal hanging from his neck. First place in some swimming competition. He was grinning on that picture, too. He couldn't be older than 15... maybe 16.

"He was still a happy man back then." A soft voice startled Alex. She turned around to face the older woman who was now sitting on the sofa the brunette had felt so uncomfortable on. "After that year everything turned to... shit." She surprised the detective with such a vulgar word. It was not a typical thing the woman would normally say. She had always been a refined person, a lady. In a good way. Kind, warm and friendly but kept her distance at the same time. Alex had always liked her and seeing her at such a state really bothered her. She felt sorry for her.

"I would like to talk to you about George. He told me that..."

"Do you think my son killed all those women?" She suddenly interrupted Alex, looking her straight in the eye. There were no tears in them anymore, just tiredness and worry. Delia Powell was a strong woman but this time the situation might have been too much for her.

"Ms Powell..." Alex cleared her dry throat. "That's what the forensics says." She could see the woman's hope dying. "But I have a feeling that something doesn't add up."

Delia looked up at her in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Alex hesitated for a second before answering. She still wasn't sure whether this idea was a good one but now she had to go with the flow. At least this will help her sleep better at night. She would be able to say that she really did everything to check every lead and hunch.

She sat down next to Delia. "Listen... I'm not saying that your son is innocent. The DNA tests shout out loudly that he was the one who murdered Tricia Miller."

"So what doesn't add up? You can't argue with science." The woman stated calmly, maybe finally accepting that this all was actually happening and her son would spend the rest of his days in prison.

"I don't know why but it doesn't seem like him. Yes, he's fucking annoying asshole. I'm sorry but he is..." Alex took a long breath and looked at the woman in front of her. "He told me he had his arms and hands scratched to the blood because he had been working in your garden. Is that true? Did you tell it to the police?"

"Yes to both of your questions. But I had the feeling that the cop who interviewed me didn't pay to that information too much attention." The woman's anger was visible now. "I think he believed that, as a mother, I would confirm any alibi George would give them. It's not like that, Alex, and you know that." She looked at her with sincerity in her eyes. "If he really did kill all those girls, I don't want him to stay free. I don't want any other person to die or get hurt." She said with quivering voice. "But if he's innocent... God, I don't have any idea what to do anymore." A single tear finally manage to escape down her cheek but she brushed it off immediately.

"Well... I might have one idea." Alex said and Delia looked at her in surprise. "I came here to ask you for your DNA sample. It can be anything... a hair, your saliva..." She took the swab from her bag and showed it to the woman. "I have a friend who can test it for me again."

"Why the secrecy? Shouldn't the police double test everything anyway?"

This was what Alex was afraid of. She knew that the DNA was tested twice, just to make sure, but the problem was that the detective wasn't sure whether she could believe those results. If Tricia had been right, and the killer was a police officer, then he or she could find a way to stall the investigation, even ruin the whole DNA tests. Yes, Mendez was an ex-cop, but what if he wasn't their guy and the true perpetrator was still roaming free and laughing in their faces every day at work? A pure thought of that made Alex's blood boil.

"Yes... and we did test it." Alex was looking for a good way to tell Delia why they needed to do the tests once again but at the same time she didn't want to show that she didn't trust her own colleagues.

"But you think it's a cop... not necessarily my son." The woman simply stated and Alex had no other choice but to nod her head.

"Please, it must stay just between you and me. If it turns out that something went wrong with the DNA test, I'll show it to my boss, but until then I can't bother him with this. He won't listen." The detective finally admitted reluctantly.

Delia hugged Alex suddenly. "Than you." She whispered into her hair. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"You'll thank me if I'm right." The detective smiled gently at the woman when she finally let her free from the embrace. "Now, let's take that swab."

XxXxX

Alex left the lab and took a long, long breath. It hadn't taken her long to come up with some stupid excuse about a cousin who needed to confirm whether some kid was his. Emma drank every lie from Alex's lips with ease and the brunette chuckled at the thought of the young lab geek.

Getting the sample from Mendez's file had been a whole different story, though. First of all, the person responsible for the archive that day was an elder nosy lady whom Alex didn't like at all. Of course, the woman was completely resistant to Alex's charm. It had been just pure luck that some other cop messed up with the file he had been reading and the woman got herself busy shouting at the poor young officer. Alex used that moment to get the blood sample quickly and by the time the elder lady came back, the brunette was ready to talk to her about one of her own cases, not rising any suspicion. Or so Alex hoped.

Now she was slowly heading to her small office where she was sure to find Stella. It was still quite early, not even lunch time, and Alex started laughing at herself quietly when she realized that on her way to the room, she subconsciously was avoiding any route where the possibility of meeting Caputo was higher. She really didn't want to be forced to run some stupid errand for the man. He was still coming up with those crazy ideas to keep Alex and Stella busy all days. Didn't he realize that writing god-damn reports was time-consuming enough? This whole thing was slowly making Alex more and more angry because in the end she was very often forced to stay long hours at the station just to finish those god-damn reports.

She dropped by the coffee machine and not time long later entered hers and Stella's little office. And God... how she wished she hadn't done that. The first thing she saw upon stepping in was Stella's pissed face as she heard Caputo's strict voice.

"It's not a request, Carlin, it's an order." The man turned around when he heard the door open. "Same to you. Be ready by 2 o'clock." And at that he left, leaving Alex standing there confused as hell.

"I'm scared to ask what was that all about." She stated humorlessly and Stella just huffed in annoyance.

"Get your ass in your official uniform, Vause." The shorter brunette chuckled tiredly and Alex's eyebrows furrowed.

"What for? Where are we going?" She really didn't like where that was heading. She hated wearing that uniform, actually. It was uncomfortable and made her feel like a soldier, not a cop.

"Remember O'Hannagain?"

"Sure. What about him?" The detective remembered the elder guy who had been working at the other police station. He was a nice and friendly fella and on many occasions helped Alex with her cases when she was just starting her job in the forces.

"He's retiring next week. There's a small official farewell party that apparently we're attending as the representatives of our precinct." Stella groaned but Alex found herself smiling. She really did like the guy and for years now he had been dreaming about having more time to himself. Now it was finally happening and maybe he would go to sunny Florida at last. "Why are you so happy about it?" The younger cop was confused when she looked up at her friend.

"I'm just glad that he will finally use his time as he pleases. He had been in the police... forever."

"I figured that much. He must be 100 years old." Stella chuckled.

"So why did Caputo seem to be pissed at you just a second ago?" Alex laughed.

"Because I may have been whining... I forgot that you're the only one who gets away with being insubordinate here." This earned her a fist to her arm and she scrunched her face in pain. "What? It's true!" She chuckled but stepped away from Alex in fear of receiving another blow. "Don't get me wrong. I like it since you're my partner but sometimes I just forget myself and say a wrong thing and you're not here so he gets pissed."

"Well... He did save our asses quite a few times already." Alex smiled. "But recently he's been such a pain in the neck. We're snowed in with the paper work and still he keeps giving us those stupid tasks. I'm never home." The brunette stated with a resigned voice.

"What? No homey-time with your blond girl?" Stella laughed.

It was Alex's turn no whine which evoked only more laughter from her younger friend. "For the first time ever I actually would like to play home and I can't." She finally admitted. Stella just looked at her, still smiling, and when Alex looked up at her she didn't find any surprise nor mocking in her eyes. Stella seemed genuinely happy for her.

"Tell you what. Since we're not going to be getting any real lunch today because of that whole farewell party, we can get some pizzas and shop up at Piper's office. What do you say?" Stella grinned. "I'm sure the girls will appreciate some hot meal."

"Great idea. I could use some hot meal, too." Alex said as she opened one of the files of their old cases but quickly looked back up in surprise at her friend when she heard her making an 'ewww' sound. "Why did you...?" The detective didn't manage to finish her question. She erupted in laughter. "I didn't meant _that,_ you fucking pervert."

"Sure." Stella continued to laugh at her friend. "You're kinda cute when you're flustered."

"Fuck off." Even Alex throwing some papers at her head didn't stop her chuckling.

XxXxX

"Why not?" Nicky asked. "I bet it would double the number of your clients."

"Because it's fucking illegal?" It was getting harder and harder for Polly to hide her annoyance at the lion-haired girl. True, she had been helping them the whole day but at the same time Nicky was slowly making the brunette tired. Or maybe she was just tired in general and the long hours spent in a small room with both of her friends was finally rubbing her the wrong way.

"It's not illegal in The Netherlands!" Nicky exclaimed excitedly and Polly just turned around to face Piper. Her eyes were pleading with her to calm the other blond down before Polly would bludgeon her to death. Piper just laughed, she knew that Nicky was just pulling her leg, so Polly turned back around to the other girl.

"We won't make weed soap, Nicky. And, please, STOP eating all the berries!" She smacked Nicky's hands but the girl just causally moved to the bowls with sliced peaches and started munching on those. "Nicky!" Polly was boiling.

"What?! I've been working my ass off here for the last ten hours and none of you slave-holders, ever proposed anything to eat. I'm starving and if you don't bring me food soon, I'll..."

The door to the office opened with a thud, making all the three girls turn their heads in its direction. Piper's face broke in a huge grin when she saw Alex and Stella entering, holding big boxes of pizza and two six packs of beers. Yet, it was Nicky who rushed to them first and before Alex managed to say 'hi' the crazy-haired girl bear-hugged her. It was a hilarious view, really. The brunette was trying to hold one of the pizza boxes in one hand and the beers in the other while Nicky squeezed her tight.

"Oh, thank all the fucks for sending you here my dearest savior." Nicky continued to mumble into her neck, still holding strong.

"The fuck is wrong with her? What did you do to her?" Stella laughed out loud as she passed the weird duo on her way to the office. "God, good that it wasn't me who entered first." She chuckled when she put her load of food and drinks onto one of the tables.

"Nicky, unglue yourself from my woman, please." Piper laughed but it was only upon hearing that she wouldn't get any of that pizza if she didn't stop harassing her girlfriend, did Nicky finally let go.

Finally, it was Piper's turn to welcome the brunette and that she did by kissing her fully on the mouth before grabbing the pizza and beers from her.

"What? No hug from you?" Alex chuckled.

"I think I would have a problem with unsticking myself from you." Piper stated as she eyed Alex up and down. "You look so hot in this uniform." She smirked. "How come I haven't seen it on you before?"

"If I had known you would enjoy it so much, I would have worn in everyday." Alex husked into her ear as she hugged Piper from behind when the blonde was putting some pizza on her plate.

"Ugh, you two... Get a room." Polly laughed, making both Stella and Nicky chuckle as well.

"And, please, you two..." Polly continued as she pointed at Alex and Stella. "... explain to that idiot over there..." Here she pointed at Nicky. "... that we can't make weed soap." This got Nicky laughing even more.

"You've got some weed?" Stella asked Nicky casually, making the girl stop giggling all over.

"I'm not sure how to answer that question." Nicky narrowed her eyes at Stella. "Do I need a lawyer?" She asked, evoking a rich laugh from both of the cops.

"Nah, calm your pants down." Stella smiled. "Maybe this weekend we could all grab a beer at my place, just chill... You know. If you've got some, you can bring it along." She grinned.

"Sounds like a great plan, my friend." Nicky hung her arm over Stella's neck and squeezed her lightly.

"God, what did you do to her?" The shorter cop asked, still laughing. "She's too huggy-feely tonight."

"They're evil. They make me work." Nicky whispered in a mock-petrified voice, making everybody laugh even more.

Alex loved their little crowd. Through the months that she had been with Piper, all of them grew really close and now the brunette couldn't imagine a life without them. Not just without the blonde in in, but also her crazy friends. They were getting along really, _really_ well and even on the most stressful days, they could make all the tension dissipate. Like right now. Alex had been going crazy in her head about the whole DNA tests thing. She still had mixed feelings about them but at the same time she knew she had to go through with her plan to put her own mind at ease. Up until this very moment, her day was full of stress and worry. She hadn't realized how nervous she had been until she walked into that office. Now she felt so much better. Just being able to be there and laugh with her friends at silly things, made it all OK. And of course Piper was there. She was her shining star in that little crowd. And the way the blonde kept looking at her from time to time made Alex pretty sure that the two of the would be counting stars that night as well. It made the grin on her face only grow bigger. Yep, she would have to wear that uniform much more often...

XxXxX

 _ **At the same time on the other side of the city...**_

It had been a rough day for him. Much more work than most of the days and he wasn't getting any younger. Those stupid kids kept getting caught with drugs on them and later he had to deal with them. Not directly them, but with their cases. And it made him mad. Furious, even. And now he wasn't able to relief his tension. There was no way he could go out and roam the streets in the search of a new prey.

No, that was impossible now. It would have been extremely stupid of him if he did that again now. He had to wait. Wait a long time before people would forget. Before the police would make themselves sure that the killings were really over. Stupid fucks. It was so easy. So, so easy to play them... That thought calmed his nerves a bit. The wonderful feeling of satisfaction filled his veins.

"Stupid fucks." He muttered to himself as he pushed the button of his PC, making the device slowly spring up to life. He went to the kitchen to grab the food from the microwave. He knew perfectly well that he shouldn't be eating like that, but ever since his wife had left him, he was unable to force himself to cook anything. All the take-out also didn't do the trick. He hated waiting in lines and he didn't want to order anything through the phone. Maybe he should go back to eating at that one dinner down from the station? The food there wasn't half bad. But then he remembered why he had stopped dropping by. The new waitress. That fucking lesbo. Every time he had seen her there, he had been unable to eat anything.

"Fucking dykes. Fucking everywhere. Even fucking here." He whispered angrily as he stirred his chicken noodles. But he got them. This time he had the upper hand. The thought made him smile again. Alex fucking dyke Vause. He chuckled. He had fucked her over the most and he was proud.

He came back to the living room and turned looked at the screen of his computer. He clicked on one of the icons and waited patiently for the program to load. It would take a while since it was connected to the police database. He realized that he had forgotten to take the cutlery so he went back to the kitchen to get some. When he was there, he heard a loud sound coming from his computer speakers and he run back to the living room as fast as he could, the cutlery totally forgotten.

What he saw on the screen made his palms sweat and the blood in his veins run cold at the same time. He couldn't believe it. Yet, it was there. Glaring him in the face. Big, red warning sign.

"Fuck, fuck, _fuck..."_ His anger sky-rocketed. He couldn't control himself anymore. With a fast movement he smashed the keyboard onto the nearby wall, making the keys fall all over the living room floor. His dog started barking like crazy, but he didn't pay attention to it. All of his focus was on one person only. "Alex fucking Vause." He growled louder than his dog. _FUCK._


	26. Chapter 26

\- 26 -

Piper fumbled with the keys to their apartment and it took her at least four tries before she finally succeeded in opening the door. The fact that Alex had her hands all over the blonde surely didn't help her focus. They closed the door with a thump as the detective pinned Piper against it, kissing her relentlessly and unbuttoning her white shirt. Or rather a shirt that used to be white. Now, after a whole day of working with Polly and Nicky, the piece of clothing was rather multicolored.

After another few seconds, Alex finally managed to drop the garment onto the floor and her hands landed on Piper's bra-covered breasts immediately, evoking a deep sexy moan from the blonde. Alex just smiled into the kiss, never stopping exploring her girlfriend's mouth. God, how she loved that woman. Normally, she would get bored with a person withing few weeks but Piper was different. Everything about Piper was different. And now, almost a year into their relationship, Alex's feelings towards the girl were only growing stronger each day. She desired her more every day. She was sure that sometime in the future she will simply end up turned to ashes from all the burning fire within her every time Piper had her hands on her. She chuckled to herself upon that thought.

"I know. I smell. I need a shower." Piper giggled when she heard Alex laugh a little but her comment only made the brunette crack up some more. "What?" The younger girl looked straight in Alex's eye.

"You don't smell." Alex kissed the tip of her nose. "Ms vanilla. You smell tasty, in fact." She nuzzled her neck before kissing Piper right behind her ear. "I, on the other hand, could use some water if I don't want to erupt in flames in a nanosecond." She kissed the blonde passionately. "You're making me so _hot_ , Pipes." Alex moaned as she felt Piper starting to unbutton the shirt which was a part of her uniform.

" _I'm_ making _you_ hot? Are you kidding, baby?" Piper gave Alex the once over. "Have you seen yourself in this outfit?" She shook her head and chuckled. "You're making me confused." She whispered as she kissed down Alex's neck, still unbuttoning her shirt slowly.

"Confused?" The brunette arched her eyebrow. Piper kissed her lightly on her sternum.

"Mhmmm..." She murmured as she looked up at the detective. "I'm not sure whether I want you out of these clothes as fast as I can or should I leave them on as long as I can." She grinned. " _God,_ they do things to me."

"I thought _I_ did things to you." Alex made a mock-offended face but the chuckle that followed sold her away.

Piper stood up to her full hight again and kissed the brunette with so much passion that it took Alex's breath away and made her pulse quicken. Suddenly, she was in no mood for mocking her girlfriend anymore.

"You do things to me, Al." Piper breathed into her ear. "But the uniform stays..." She bit her earlobe delicately. "...for now." She smiled to herself when she heard her girlfriend moan. She started to walk Alex slowly to their bed, kissing her all the time and loosing her own bra on the way. Soon, they both giggled when they landed rather unceremoniously on the bed.

"So classy." Alex chuckled as her hands continued to roam over the newly exposed skin. Her touch sent millions of electric currents run down Piper's spine. It worked such wonders every damn time.

"Shut up, smartass." Piper straddled the brunette's hips and held her hands above her head, making it impossible for Alex to move almost at all. She kissed down her creamy neck and slowly dragged her fingernails down Alex's arms until she could cup her full breasts. The blonde was crazy about them and loved each square millimeter of them. Hell, she could spend the rest of her lifetime just worshiping them and be totally cool with it. Being completely focused on that part of Alex's body made her unaware of what her gorgeous girlfriend was about to do. Before she knew what was happening, the brunette flipped them over. She did it with ease, evoking a string of giggles out of Piper. The blonde could feel the strong muscles flexing under Alex's shirt and it made her shiver. She loved the fact that Alex was so strong. So soft and feminine but full of power whenever she wanted to use it.

The detective did not waste any more time and sucked one of Piper's nipples into her mouth, grazing it lightly with her teeth, preventing her from uttering a single word. All that left Piper's lips were moans and deep breaths. Alex knew how sensitive Piper's breasts could be when she was aroused and she was pretty sure that if she got to caress them, her girlfriend would turn to mush in her hands, allowing her to do whatever she wants. And all she wanted right now was to fuck her woman senseless. After all the teasing and all the kissing and all the fumbling, Alex could hardly control herself. She unbuttoned her pants and slid them down Piper's long legs. When she came back to the eye-level with the blonde, she looked at her intently as she slid her dexterous fingers between her soft folds. She marveled at how wet Piper had become. Goddamn waterfall down there.

"Oh Al..." Piper's voice quavered as her eyes fluttered closed. The sensations in her body were making her crazy. Alex hadn't even touched her properly and she was ready to burst. Every fiber of her being wanted to melt into the wonderful woman above her. When she felt Alex circle two of her fingers delicately around her opening, Piper couldn't hold back a long moan that left her lips. Her thighs shoot slightly in anticipation.

All the time Alex was observing her keenly, too afraid to even blink. She wanted to see it all in Piper's face. Every sensation and every feeling. She loved that woman so much it hurt. She finally slid her fingers inside her dripping core and they both moaned in unison. Alex loved how Piper's body seemed to never want to let go of her. The muscles trying to keep her in as long as it was possible. The brunette started to pump in and out, slowly at first but when she felt Piper relax a bit, she upped her game and soon her movements became much more confident and gained both in speed and strength.

And just as Piper had anticipated, soon enough her body was screaming for release. She could feel the familiar coil in the bottom of her belly start to spread its heat all over her body. Her thighs trembled as she gripped the sheets with such force that she thought she would tear it apart. The next thing she knew, her back was arching from the bed, her arms gripped the sheet even harder and all the tension in her body snapped, forcing her to squeeze her eyes shut tight and a long moan leave her dry throat. She felt her whole body going rigid for a few long seconds, the heavenly sensations spreading all over her. Alex never stopped pumping her fingers throughout her orgasm and now when it was slowly tempering off, Piper realized that her girlfriend was not about to stop. _Oh God, she's at it again._ She loved when Alex got into such mood.

"Pipes, look at me. I want to see you." The brunette whispered hotly into her ear and Piper complied, not without a struggle. The green from Alex's eyes disappeared completely and it made the blonde shiver even more. Her girlfriend looked like a starving predator ready to pounce. The hunger in her sight was palpable... but there was something more there, too. Love, adoration, devotion. And suddenly Piper felt her eyes get moist because of all the feelings that were running not only in her body but her heart as well.

The fresh tears brimming in Piper's eyes made Alex slow down a bit as her eyebrow furrowed in worry. "What is it, baby?" She asked quietly but before she managed to stop completely, Piper kissed her passionately, silencing her. With trembling hands she unbuttoned Alex's pants and slid her fingers into the scorching heat of her girlfriend's core, making the brunette moan deep in her throat and resume the pumping motion of her hand. Soon, they had to break their kiss when their lungs started to scream for air. They continued do stare into each other's eyes, their lips millimeters away, breathing each other's air, their hands working on each other's most sensitive parts, bringing each other higher and higher until their bodies couldn't handle it anymore.

They came together, their eyes never leaving each other, and Alex thought she had never seen anything so beautiful before. Piper's face was pure bliss and happiness and the sight took Alex's breath away.

It took them both a while to come back from their shared high and when they did finally calm down, they just lied there next to each other, still staring into each other's eyes. No words were uttered, the silence engulfed them and neither of them seemed to mind it one bit. It was Piper who cracked a smile first, her eyes shining and so, _so_ baby blue like a clear sky in the middle of a hot summer day. Alex just kissed her lips tenderly and smiled as well. Her own eyes were slowly growing heavy and she was fighting to keep them open. And Piper, of course, noticed that immediately.

"Let's just take a little nap." The blonde whispered quietly as she tug some of Alex's hair behind her ear.

"Let's just..." Alex whispered back as she finally allowed her eyes to shut close. Her grip on Piper's waist got a little stronger and she nuzzled her head into the crook of Piper's neck and kissed the skin there lightly. She was in her own little heaven.

XxXxX

Their little nap turned out to be a way over one hour long slumber but neither of them minded that. They needed a little rest after their lovemaking. Now, after finally taking a shower, they were sitting by their kitchen table munching on some tortillas prepared quickly by Alex. It still amazed Piper how her girlfriend was able to create a delicious meal having almost nothing in the fridge.

"I was thinking..." Alex started as she swallowed some of her OJ. "Have you and Polly thought about hiring someone?"

The question surprised the blonde. She didn't think Alex would like to talk about the business right now but she figured now was good as any time, actually.

"Yeah, we have thought about it. We really need some helping hands now. The orders are getting bigger and bigger and soon we won't be able to prepare them on our own. Thank God, Nicky was there to help us today but she won't be able to do that everyday." Piper chuckled. "I think she wouldn't like that, either."

"Can you blame her? Up until today, I don't think she has worked a single day in her life and you guys didn't make it easy on her." Alex laughed.

"Well, we did tell her it wouldn't be easy and she didn't seem to mind... until she actually had to help us."

"Listen... I was thinking..." Alex started again tentatively. "There's this governmental program."

This raised Piper's curiosity. "What program?"

"The local authorities can help you hire someone and partly pay their salary."

"Awesome." Piper grinned. "So where's the catch?" She asked still smiling and it made Alex chuckle again.

"Well... this someone must be an ex-con." Alex finally admitted.

"I figured that much."

"It's OK if you don't want to try it." The brunette quickly explained. She didn't want the younger woman to feel like she must help ex-prisoners just because Alex was doing that. Not everyone could get along with people like that and the detective understood that some people might be even scared of ex-cons.

"Actually, what the hell, why not?" Piper surprised her with her answer. "It might take a while to convince Polly, though." She smiled up at Alex. "Yet, the promise of making such an employee cheap for us, as a starting company, might help in persuading her."

Alex hugged the blonde. "Great. I'll get some of the information pamphlets from the station. You and Polly can read more about it before you make the final decision."

They continued to eat in comfortable silence until it was Piper's turn to struck a conversation again.

"I was wondering..." She started rather quietly and she looked as if she had been thinking about something intensely for a while now. It made Alex turn all of her attention to her girlfriend and it made Piper only more nervous.

"What is it, babe?" Alex brushed her fingertips along Piper's forearm reassuringly in hope to give the younger girl the courage to continue. She grew a little worried herself, to be honest.

"Do you think you could take a few days off after my exhibition?" This surprised Alex a bit but she also felt relief washing down her body. For a second there, she though that Piper might have been in some trouble.

"I think that could be arranged. I haven't had a little holiday for ages. I can talk to Caputo about it today." The brunette smiled brightly and it made all the tension evaporate from Piper's features. Her face was now enlightened with a beautiful smile as well, excitement clearly simmering in her blue eyes. "What's on our mind, Pipes? Planning a little trip or something?" Alex asked playfully.

"To Prague." This made Alex choke on her OJ and it took her a while to calm down all the coughing.

"Czech Republic? You're kidding, right?" The brunette chuckled, still not fully believing what she had just heard.

"Why not? I've been dying to go there for years now..." Piper stated. "Everyone goes to Paris or Madrid or London or Lisbon... I'd like to go to Prague. What's weird about it?" The blonde's defense mode was obviously on and the look on her face, the big puppy eyes and slightly quivering lower lip, made Alex chuckle some more but she stopped immediately when she realized that yes, indeed, Piper was serious, and she was about to get angry, or worse – sad, that Alex didn't want to go with her.

She turned on her seat to face the blonde and took her hands in her own. She run her thumbs up and down the palms of her hands in hopes for calming her girlfriend down and, thank God, it seemed to do the trick. "Piper Elizabeth Chapman, of course I'll go with you." She grinned when she saw Piper's eyes go wide with surprise.

"Really?" The blonde's face almost split in halves with a big smile which only made Alex's heart do a little somersault.

"Really, really." She chuckled freely now.

"Good." Piper kissed her lightly on the lips. "Because I've already booked the tickets." She confessed and it was Alex's turn to laugh in surprise this time.

"Confident much?" The brunette asked mockingly.

"You scared me for a second, you moron." Piper chuckled at her girlfriend. Deep down inside she could feel a wonderful joy spreading all over her body. Finally. Holiday. With Alex. Could life get any better? She grinned at the brunette as she continued to slowly munch on her tortilla. Completely relaxed now.

XxXxX

The next morning Alex was in a hurry to get to the station earlier than normal. She and Stella had to attend a briefing at 8:30 and before that she wanted to get those information pamphlets that she had promised Piper. She wasn't sure whether she would have the time to do that after the meeting because she knew that they had to go and talk to several witnesses in the case they had been working now.

The brunette entered the small office and opened one of the drawers in her desk, then another... then yet another and she huffed in annoyance. Where the hell were those damn pamphlets? Just as she was about to turn around and search in their file cabinet, Stella came into the room with to cups of steaming coffee.

"What's on fire?" She asked when she noticed that Alex had been looking for something rather frantically.

"Have you seen somewhere the pamphlets about the jobs that the government fixes for ex-cons? I could swear I had them in my desk but they're fucking gone." Alex stated angrily without stopping her search.

"Oh, those. Bennet has them. He took them the other day when you were not here. Said he wanted to read more about it since his mother was thinking of using the program in her company." Stella stated calmly. She sat down on her run-down chair and put her feet on the desk. "Mmmm... There's nothing better than morning coffee." She moaned after taking a sip of the dark liquid. "Well... Maybe morning sex would be better, actually. But I'll take what I can." She chuckled finally, making Alex laugh with her.

"Is he at work already?" Alex asked, already on her way to the door.

"Sure. In his office. I've just left him his coffee, too. Figured he could use it since he can't really count on morning sex as well." The shorter girl laughed. "I wonder why I keep bringing coffee to you, though." She grinned at Alex.

"'Cause you know I don't act like a human being without me coffee." Alex winked at her and left the office in search of John.

She found him in his office, just as Stella had said he would be. He was sitting by his desk, a coffee cup in one hand and some report in the other. Alex knocked on the door frame to announce her presence and the man lift his head from the paper he had been reading intently.

"Vause, come in." He grinned at her. "What brings you to my humble abode?" His choice of words made the brunette laugh.

"Hey, Johnny boy. Stella told me you've got my pamphlets about the jobs for ex-cons."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, I was planning to give them back yesterday evening but your office was already closed." He put the report on the desk and turned to search for the papers for Alex. Only then did the brunette notice the bandage on his left hand.

"What happened to your hand?" Alex asked, surprise and concern painting her features.

John looked down at his hand and chuckled. "A dog bit me."

"What?" Alex's eyes went wide and then she laughed. "What did you do to the poor thing?"

"Poor thing? Damn, that was a fucking killing machine. I thought dogs hate only postmen. Apparently, some of them are not so fond of cops either." He laughed. "Don't worry about it. It's no biggy." He dismissed the wound. "Here are your pamphlets. Thanks again." He smiled at her, passing the papers with the healthy hand.


	27. Chapter 27

\- 27 -

Piper and Polly had been sitting in Polly's apartment for the last two hours and the blonde was slowly getting annoyed at the fact that she had wasted so much time and nothing conclusive had come out of their conversation. Her friend was simply scared to hire people who used to be in prison. She didn't trust them one bit and the more Piper tried to make her understand that nothing wrong would happen, that most of the ex-cons attending the program had committed lesser crimes, that they were not dangerous at all, the more Polly became irritated.

"Pol, listen, we can hire just one person... Both of us will keep an eye on him or her." Piper tried once again.

"Her." Polly quickly clarified and Piper shot her a big grin.

"OK – her – I can see than you're slowly changing your mind?" The blonde tried lightly, her voice full of hope finally.

"I'm not." Polly cut the good humor short immediately and Piper's face dropped. "I'm just saying that if... It's a big _IF,_ Pipe... if we use Alex's idea, this person must be a woman. I don't trust ex-con who are men."

"You don't trust any ex-con, Pol."

"You also shouldn't." Polly was stubborn as hell this time. Well... Not just this time. The woman had the tendency to stick to her own opinions and ideas no matter the cost. This feature of her character very often led to conflicts between her and Piper and it was slowly starting to look that this time it wouldn't be any different. The blonde was really honestly curious about the governmental program and the way Alex had talked about it made it seem like a successful venture. For once the authorities were doing something good for the ex-prisoners instead of leaving them alone in the streets after being released, literally sometimes. Piper wanted to try and meet some of these people. They could help each other, right? For sure, she would try to persuade her best friend some more but one look at Polly and she was certain that that sort of conversation had to wait. Today they wouldn't reach any conclusions anyway.

"Are you ready for some party tonight?" Piper decided to change the topic. Maybe making Polly relax a bit would help Piper's other cause. "Is Pete coming as well? I've talked to Stella this morning and she said that we should take our better halves." She smiled at the idea of spending some time with all of her friends. It had been a while since they had an occasion to do that.

"Oh my God, yes!" The brunette exclaimed excitedly. "We've been working our asses off lately. Makes me rethink the whole 'our own business' idea, you know." The frustration was clear and Piper could rely to those feelings, unfortunately. Yes, she was happy that her life was finally taking some concrete shape, that her studies were going simply awesome, that her business was picking up, that her exhibition was just around the corner... But at the same time she was getting more and more tired. Why did her life had to suddenly be so busy right when she finally found that special one? Guess, there would never be any balance in her life after all.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I hardly ever talk to Alex, really. So what that we live together? When I'm home, she's out. Caputo even gave her several night shifts." Piper concluded sadly with a pout on her face.

"Well... Maybe you guys hardly ever talk but you certainly find the time for other activities." Polly chuckled.

"What? Are you kidding me? I don't even remember the last time I was in the cinema." Piper looked up at her friend with a surprise and annoyance in her blue eyes.

"Yet, you two find the time to fuck each other's brains out." The brunette laughed heartily when Piper started to choke on her coffee. She was blushing like all hell and Polly wasn't sure whether it was due to the choking or rather she had a rare occasion so see Piper's embarrassment. Whatever the reason, she enjoyed the shocked expression on Piper's face and decided to tease her some more. "You thought I didn't see that gigantic hickey at the base of your neck? Or that I didn't know why Alex's arm was scratched? I didn't hear any story of her chasing down some bad guys with sharp nails." She continued to laugh at the blonde's expense. "Don't worry, _kid,_ I'm glad you're still in the honeymoon stage. It's kinda cute." She patted Piper's back as she made fun at the nickname that Alex was constantly using while referring to the blonde.

"Yeah, well... Maybe it's because we really hardly see each other. It still feels so fresh and new and exciting..." Piper smiled. "But I really would like to have some more free time. I hope that after my exhibition it will be possible. Yet, if our business continues to grow like it has been for a while now, I doubt that we will have any spare time."

"I know... I'd love to spend more time with Pete, too." It was Polly's turn to pout a bit.

"Listen, Pol. We really, _really_ need to hire someone to help us with the production if we want our little company become not so little company. It's obvious by now that a lot of people find our soap worth its money."

"I know where this conversation is heading again." The brunette warned her with stern voice.

"Okay... How about this? We will give the ad that we're looking for an employee and we'll go through normal job interviews and so on but at the same time we will take a look at that program. It won't hurt us to talk to some of these people, too. We can chose whoever we like best, with or without the governmental help."

Polly seemed to be thinking for a while before she finally nodded in agreement. Yes, she was stubborn as a mule but at the same time she knew perfectly well that if Piper wanted something very much, she usually found a way to get it. Arguing much longer about it wouldn't do anything good to their company... and their friendship. If they talk to 'normal people' as well, Polly will try to choose someone from that group. She was sure that it would be easier to find some decent employee among people who didn't have any conflict with the law. Even Piper would see that.

"Yes!" In the meanwhile, Piper was oblivious to her friend's plan and was currently hugging the brunette with utter happiness painting her beautiful features. She was positive that she would be able to persuade Polly to hire someone from the program. If Alex had said there were good people in it, Piper believed in just that.

XxXxX

Alex was looking down at the picture in the morning newspaper. The big title over it said that the strangler had been finally caught by the police. The article praised a young officer who had been the lead investigator in the case. John Bennett was sure to get a promotion very soon. He was the hero of the week.

The detective dropped the paper onto her desk and took a long breath. She didn't envy Bennett – hell, she was happy that the guy was receiving so much prise now. He was a good cop and a great colleague so of course Alex was happy for him. The thing that worried her was her gut feeling that Mendez was guilty of a lot of things but killing those women was not one of them.

On the one hand, she really wanted to be wrong about all of this. If it turned out that Mendez was in fact innocent, the media would eat Bennett alive... together with the whole police department and Caputo on top of it. Alex didn't want this to happen. She didn't want her friends to have any problems. Their work was difficult as it was already.

On the other hand, Alex kind of wanted to be right about the whole DNA thing. It was hard to believe that her ex-partner was capable of doing such a horrible and gruesome thing. What would be his motives? All that time ago, when they worked together, Alex wasn't a big fan of her more experienced colleague but they did get along quite well... until that sexual harassment case. It made Alex realize that Mendez was not only full of bullshit talk. He could be dangerous to others... But killing women? Just because they had been gay? Damn, Alex was a lesbian and Mendez not once had said anything bad about this fact. On the contrary, he treated her actually with respect and as "one of his own", as he often claimed. Her eyebrows furrowed. The headache was killing her. Too much stress.

Suddenly, the door to her office burst open and Stella's smiling face showed up. "Cover for me if Caputo asks about me." She grinned mischievously making Alex laugh a little. The younger cop was obviously excited about the evening get-together at her place.

"What are you up to?" The taller brunette raised her eyebrow and tried to look serious but her lips refused to cooperate and soon she was shooting her friend equally toothy smile.

"I'm going shopping for the booze and I need to clean my place up a bit. I've just finished the last night's reports, they're on Caputo's desk. Thank fuck, he wasn't in his office. I'm sure he would find a way to keep me here tonight."

Alex chuckled. "Oh, c'mon... He's not so bad lately."

"Yeah... for a work bully." Stella whined. "I can't believe I'm saying this... But I stared to dream about some vacation... Really."

"When all this circus is over, we'll get some days off. I'll ask Caputo." Alex stated while pointing at the newspaper which was now lying abandoned on her desk.

"Good. He shall give us a break if his favorite little monkey asks nicely." Stella laughed and was soon forced to dodge a newspaper flying over her head, making her snicker only more at her friend's reaction. Besides the paper Alex also threw at her her deadly glare. "Sorry. I just had to." Stella continued to laugh.

"You better go and get us some beers for the evening. Me and Piper will bring some snacks. The others will also not come empty-handed, I'm sure." Alex finally smiled again at her friend. The prospect of spending some time with her 'team' was making her mood much better by the minute.

"Don't worry about the snacks. I've got some bananas at home." Stella was lucky to be a pretty fast person with good reflex. Otherwise the empty coffee paper cup flying her way would hit her square in the face. Thankfully, she managed to escape the flying object and soon all Alex could hear was Stella's roaring laugher as she walked down the corridor to the station's exit, leaving the detective alone with her thoughts.

Yeah, it was good that tonight her mind would be off the case. Thinking about it was slowly making Alex crazy, the stress eating at her all the time. Tonight would be the night to let her hair down.

XxXxX

It was nearly 9 pm now and Alex was finally able to get home from work. _Of course_ Caputo just had to appear in her little office and ask her to stay a few hours longer to help interrogate some idiot who had stolen a car. The imbecile was caught red-handed and still claimed it hadn't been him! By the time the questioning was over Alex was hungry, tired and irritated. The worst of all was that she was unable to contact Piper and for the most part of the evening she was sure that her girlfriend would be simply fuming at Alex doing overtime... again. Thankfully, when the brunette could finally reach Piper, the blonde told her that she also had to stay a bit longer... even a little bit more than a bit. There was another big order and she and Polly had to finish packing everything tonight. It made Alex feel a little less guilty.

They had arranged that Alex would wait for Piper at home and then they would go together with Pete and Polly to Stella's. If they were lucky, they would get to the party around 10 pm. Alex chuckled to herself when she thought that by that time most of the crowd would be either drunk or stoned... or both. Yeah, the night would be sweet.

The smirk on Alex's face dropped when she approached her apartment. She tried to open it with her key but the door seemed to have been already opened and Alex got a little confused. Did they forget to lock it when they were leaving this morning? Maybe...

The detective drew her weapon out and tentatively stepped into her apartment, leaving the door slightly ajar in case she needed to retreat. "Pipes?" She called out but the place was quiet. Not a single sign of the blonde.

It took her less than a minute to check the kitchen area and the bathroom. Empty. This was weird. Alex had never forgotten to lock her door before. Maybe she was really getting too tired to operate normally. She took a long deep breath to calm down. She put her gun down on the kitchen counter and turned around to get some cold beer from the fridge. Her nerves were getting the better of her and this fact frustrated her even more. Stupid door. She needed to be more careful.

She turned around to take her gun again in order to put it in the safe... And she was stopped dead in her track. The bottle lipped from her hand, crashing on the kitchen floor with a loud thud.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk... You're loosing your instincts, Vause."

Alex stood there frozen. Fuck, fuck, fuck. _Fuck._ How could she forget to check the fire stairs... In her stupid tiredness she hadn't even noticed that the window was open. Fuck, fuck, fuck. _Fuck._

Healy was standing in front of her. The smirk on his face showed how confident he felt in this situation. The gun in his hand definitely made him feel powerful and sure of himself. Alex narrowed her eyes at the silencer. Fuck, fuck, fuck. _Fuck._

"What are you doing here? What's going on?" She asked and she fought hard to keep her voice from quivering. She didn't want to show him that she was nervous... scared shitless really. Piper could get home any minute now.

"Oh, I think you know perfectly well what's going on, Vause. And that's exactly the problem." Healy smiled wickedly. "It's a pity I can't use my usual technique. It would turn the police's attention too much. Too risky." He touched the gun with his other hand. "This time this would have to do."

"You don't have to do this, Sam." Alex tried to get him to speak. She needed to come up with some plan, and fast.

"I'm afraid I do have to. The question is why did _you_ have to order that test." He got a little angry while saying that. "Why the fuck didn't you just let it go? Hmm?" He pointed the gun directly at her again. "You and your fucking nosiness." He was growing more and more agitated and Alex knew that it wasn't anything good. "You..." He started again but suddenly he was stopped by a loud ringing coming from Alex's back pocket. They both froze, not knowing what to do.

"Check who's that." Healy finally ordered and Alex did exactly that. Her throat tightened when she saw Piper's name and smiling face on the display. If she was calling her, it meant that she was getting near the apartment or, worse, was already waiting for her downstairs. Fuck, fuck, fuck. _Fuck._

"Who?" Healy's voice stopped her train of thoughts.

"Piper." She stated quietly.

"Pick it up. Get rid of her if you don't want her to get hurt." She smiled wickedly again. "See, I can have some mercy. For the good old times sake."

Alex swallowed hard before answering the phone. Her throat was paper dry. "Hi, Pipes. Where are you?" She was thinking fast. She had to do something to prevent Piper from going upstairs.

"Where am I?" The blonde chuckled. "I'm waiting for you, babe. Where are _you_?" She asked mockingly, her voice full of mirth. So warm, free, careless. Alex could feel the tears coming to her eyes. How she wished she would be able to listen to that voice again. But judging by what was going on... The chances for that were pretty slim now. Fuck, fuck, fuck. _Fuck._

And then, an idea popped into her head so suddenly that she almost laughed out loud in her nervousness. God, she hoped Piper would catch what she was about to say. _Please, please, all the gods up there... Let her get it._

"Pipes, listen, could you drop by the grocery's to get me the peanut butter? You know... the one with the yellow label." Alex hoped she sounded convincing to Healy... and crazy enough to Piper to make her think hard.

"What?" Piper's voice lost its happiness immediately and she seemed confused. "Al, what the hell are you talking about? You're allergic to..." She started to speak but Alex stopped her again.

"Yeah, I know." She chuckled to the phone while she continued to observe Healy, trying to figure out whether the man was buying into her bullshit. He seemed content... for now. "You know how Stella loves those pancakes. We'll make them for breakfast. So can you bring that peanut butter with you?"

The penny finally dropped. "Al, baby... are you OK?" Piper's voice was trembling. She had to know that something was dramatically wrong if Alex couldn't talk freely.

"Yeah, just please do this for me. OK?" _Please, please, pretty please... Stay away, get Stella and the guys here._

"I love you." Piper whispered. She could feel the tears stinging her eyes, her hands were trembling. Alex was in danger. She was sure of that. She heard Alex saying that she loved her too and the there was a quiet click and the conversation was over.

Piper grabbed her old, long forgotten, baseball bat from the trunk of her car and started running towards the building as fast as her legs would carry her. On her way she dialed Stella's number.

"Yo, blondie! Where the fuck are you guys?!" Piper could hear the laughter and some background noise. Clearly the party was getting better by the minute.

"Stella. Listen tome carefully. I'm at our place. Alex in trouble. She called me and sounded weird. I think she's in real danger." She was talking fast.

"What going on?" Stella immediately sounded sobered up upon hearing what Piper was saying.

"The fuck I know. Get here fast. Call the police. Please, fucking do it now." Piper whispered hotly into the phone before ending the call. She was now slowly climbing the stairs leading to their apartment and when she reached the floor below theirs, she was finally able to hear some voices. Two people were talking, seemingly calmly. The door must have been open if Piper was able to hear the conversation.

"Why did you kill them?" She heard Alex's voice and the question made Piper stop in her tracks. Her hands started shaking, palms sweating. Fuck, fuck, fuck. _Fuck._

The man didn't answer her. He just laughed as if he hadn't heard a better joke in his life. Piper was sure she had heard that voice before. It was so familiar but she was unable to place it yet. She started to climb the stairs again. Very slowly. Carefully. She didn't want to make a single sound.

Soon, she was standing right by their door. Through the little gap she could see the back of some man and to her utter horror he was holding a gun in his hand, pointing at Alex who was obviously distraught... and angry at the same time? Piper could see the fear and anger in her eyes. It seemed that the brunette hadn't noticed her yet.

"I don't want to talk about them. Who cares why I killed them?" The man chuckled and only now Piper recognized that voice. Healy. "Wanna know why I'm going to kill you, though?" He laughed evilly. "You've messed with my genius plan. It's that simple. You've messed with me and it's going to get you killed, Vause." He whispered venomously.

Piper couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't listen to that scumbag talking like that. She couldn't let Alex get hurt. She didn't know how she found the strength or the courage to do what she did next. Love can make you do a lot of crazy things, probably...

The blonde lifted the baseball bat and barged into the the apartment. She aimed at Healy's head but she didn't target well enough and the bat hit the man's shoulder. Thankfully, the hit was hard enough and fast enough to surprise him and he dropped the gun to the floor.

"What the fuck?!" He shouted in utter shock, holding his arm which now looked broken or at least dislocated since it was hanging limply down Healy's side. He stumbled on his feet and Alex charged at him with all her power, knocking him to the floor.

"Kick the gun away!" She shouted at Piper when she saw that Healy was trying to grab it even though it was quite far away from him. She had to admit that the guy was fucking strong and even with a hurt arm he was putting quite a fight.

Piper did what Alex said and run to the two of them still struggling on the floor. Healy was trying to grab the brunette's neck and when Piper realized what was going on, she grabbed his hurt arm and squeezed it tight, making him cream in pain. The man's hand left Alex's neck immediately but at the same time he managed to hit Piper right in the nose. It must have been a pretty good too blow because now the blonde's face was flooded with blood. Yet, she didn't show any intention to let him go. She'd rather died than let that son of a bitch hurt Alex.

"You fucker!" Alex own blood boiled in her veins when she saw her girlfriend's face. She used the fact that Piper was holding his aching arm, preventing him from moving almost at all now. If he had been hoping to make the blonde back off with that blow, he was sorely mistaken. Before he knew what was happening, Alex hit him hard to the side of his head, knocking him out cold. She didn't wait for him to move an inch before the handcuffs were placed on his wrists behind his back.

Right when she dropped Healy's unconscious body back on the floor, Alex felt Piper's warm arms engulfing her.

"Oh my God, baby are you okay?" She whispered as she continued to check whether the brunette was fine indeed. Obviously, in the heat of the moment, she hadn't realized that she was the one who was actually hurt.

Alex took her trembling hands into her own and made her look up. "Jesus Christ..." She whispered. "Your nose. You're bleeding." She led Piper to the kitchen area and made her sit by the table. She kissed her on the top of her head and run for some cloth and an ice-pack to stop the bleeding. When she returned, she realized that Piper was crying. She was bawling and shaking and Alex gathered her in her arms. "It's OK, shh..." She continued to whisper to her over and over again. "What the hell were you thinking running here like a Rambo?" She chuckled into Piper's hair when the blonde calmed down a bit.

Piper tried to laugh but ended up squinting her eyes in pain. The headache was killing her and the nose seemed to have swollen a bit. She couldn't breath through it. "I will always be your Rambo." She mumbled as Alex tried to carefully stop the blood from flowing.

"Really? Always?" Alex tried to crack a joke but her own hands were trembling too. One little second and this whole mess could have ended differently. Entirely. She looked back at the man lying on the floor. He was moving a bit, probably coming back to his senses, and the detective had to fight the urge to knock him out again. She had never felt such hatred to anyone before.

"Yes. Always." Piper's soft whisper made her turn her attention to the blonde again. She looked into her blue eyes full of tears now but also relief. "Until you're safe."


	28. Chapter 28

\- 28 -

Piper was sitting patiently on a high chair in the doctor's office while a man in a white uniform continued to secure the bandage and nose guard onto her face. She and Alex had been both transported to a local hospital for a check up. Apart from some minor bruises on her neck, the brunette was completely fine... Piper was in a slightly different situation, though. The younger woman wasn't seriously hurt but her face didn't look that good. As it had turned out, the blonde suffered a broken nose and only due to pure luck it wasn't dislocated.

"This bandage should be enough but you must be careful not to dislocate your rhinion." The doctor announced when he was finished.

"My what?" Piper mumbled with difficulty and Alex squinted her eyes. She knew that talking was quite a struggle now for her girlfriend. She hated that. She hated that the blonde had be in pain because of her.

"Your this." The man pointed delicately at the top of Piper's nose. "You must be super careful about that part of your face, Piper. Otherwise you might hurt yourself further and I will have to reset it." His face was serious and the blonde just nodded her head lightly but even such a minimal movement caused the nausea and dizziness to make a big come back and Piper's face turned white gain.

Alex was by her side immediately. "You OK, kid?" She held her head as she continued to draw little circles over her back. "Do you want to lie down?" She asked with a voice full of worry. "Are you sure she's fine?" The brunette looked back at the doctor with expectation.

"It's just a small concussion. Nothing serious." Alex looked at him obviously not persuaded. "Really." He said with a compassionate smile. "She will feel better once she has some proper rest but you must remember not to let her sleep for the next 12 hours or so." Alex started to ask another question but his lifted hand stopped her. "It's just a precaution." The doctor said before the brunette started panicking again. It was clear as sky that the detective was being extremely overprotective over her girlfriend but he could understand that. Who wouldn't have been after having endured such ordeal?

"Al, baby, if he says I'm fine – I'm fine." Piper squeezed Alex's hand with affection. It had been several hours since the whole Healy thing and the blonde was exhausted. All she dreamed about was to get home and have some rest. Quarreling with the medical staff didn't help. Alex had already forced them into performing several unnecessary tests. They had probably agreed to them only to get the overzealous detective off their backs.

"Can we go home now?" Piper asked the doctor with more than just a hint of hope in her voice.

"Yes, you can. You even should." He answered while looking directly at Alex with a raised eyebrow, as if challenging her to come up with some other ideas about what still needed to be checked in Piper. Yet, the blonde didn't wait for her girlfriend to start another argument. She took her hand and slowly got off the high chair she had been sitting on for the last two hours.

"Alex, we're going home. Please." She said with insistence, pulling the dark-haired woman out of the doctor's office and the brunette finally gave up opposing. She didn't stop worrying, though.

The first thing they noticed when they entered the main corridor leading to the exit was the fact that the place wasn't empty. The moment the door behind them clicked quietly, all of their friends shot to their feet. The concern on their faces was clearly visible... together with tiredness and slight drunkenness (mostly on Nicky's face).

"Are you OK? Nobody would tell us anything." Polly complained as she delicately hugged Piper.

"I texted you guys." Alex said as she hugged Nicky and Stella.

"Yeah... well... 'Piper is OKish' is not exactly calming any nerves when one saw blood in your apartment and a lot of bloody kitchen towels AND nobody wants to tell you what's exactly going on, you know." Stella stated matter-of-factly.

"I'm sorry, I was too out of it, apparently." Alex admitted sheepishly, still hugging her girlfriend close to her. The stress of the night was lingering in her bones, she could literally feel how strained her muscles were all over. Yet, the adrenaline pumping in her veins made her surprisingly fresh and wide awake. Piper, on the other hand, looked like a zombie. She was pale and visibly exhausted. Alex guessed she was also suffering from headache and judging by the blonde's squinting eyes, she also had a minor case of photophobia. Nothing that the doctor hadn't warned them about, but it still made Alex worried out of her mind.

"You look like a superhero!" Nicky exclaimed as she took a good look at Piper.

"I'm not a superhero, Nichols." The blonde tried to smile but it wasn't that easy. Every change of facial expression caused her more pain.

"No, seriously man... You look like Lord Vader." Nicky burst out in laughter and others, even Alex, couldn't help the giggling. All that Piper managed to do was to show them all the middle finger, evoking even more chuckles.

"Wait... Lord Vader wasn't a superhero." Polly stated finally. "He was a bad guy."

"Well... You look more like that rich guy who was rescuing a city dressed like a black bird or something..." Morello said with a smile. She obviously didn't see Alex signaling her with her eyes to stop speaking at once. "I know! A Batman!" The petite brunette concluded with victory in her voice upon finally finding the name she was searching for in her mind... and Piper's eyebrows shot up to her hairline in surprise.

The blonde turned around to face Alex. Anger bullets shooting with her eyes. "You said I did not have a black eye." She hissed.

"Because you don't, blondie." Nicky sniggered. "You've got two." She laughed.

"Oh fucking shit!" Piper tried to touch her cheeks but Alex held her hands in midair, preventing the blonde from examining her face and probably accidentally moving the bandages.

"Pipes, don't touch anything. Let's just get home. You won't 'see' anything with your hands anyway." The brunette tried to placate her obviously outraged girlfriend.

Thankfully, Piper didn't have enough power to fight anymore and soon they all left the hospital. On their way home, Alex had to make sure that the blonde wouldn't fall asleep on her shoulder. That was actually quite a difficult task since Piper's eyes were extremely heavy. What she wouldn't give for just ten minutes of peaceful sleep. Yet, the doctor's orders were doctor's orders and Piper was sure that Alex would fulfill them to the last most tiny bit of a detail. Twice. For good measure.

The younger woman released a long breath upon entering their apartment. She could see the shattered glass of the beer bottle on the kitchen floor. There was a small puddle of blood and some smears around it right in the center of their living room area. The coffee table had been pushed right to the bed. Some bloody kitchen towels were lying here and there. The apartment was actually a mess but neither Piper nor Alex were willing to start cleaning right now.

"Come here." Alex whispered to her girlfriend. "Let me take off your jacket."

Piper let her do whatever she wanted. She herself felt numb. More tired than she had ever been in her life. When she thought that she was not allowed to fall asleep for another almost eleven hours, she wanted to cry. And Alex must have seen the unshed tears welling up in her blue eyes because the moment she looked at the blonde's face, she was right beside her, cradling her in her strong arms.

"What is it, baby?" She asked while caressing her scalp tenderly. "How can I help?"

"You're already helping." Piper whispered into Alex's hair. The smell of her girlfriend calmed her down. She never wanted to let go. Ever... So they stood there for quite a while before the blonde lifted her head to look at the detective. "Let's get a shower." She smiled up. Yes, that was a good idea. Showers. Baths. These were Piper's best places. She loved getting clean and now she felt that nice, warm water was what she really needed to feel better. She wanted to get rid of all the remnants of the previous day.

Alex grabbed them some fresh bathrobes before starting the water. She lowered the shower head so that the water wouldn't splash Piper's sore face. She didn't want her girlfriend to suffer any more pain than she already had. She helped her undress and then quickly got rid of her own clothes before helping the blonde step into the shower. The water was wonderfully hot, not enough to burn their skin but enough to warm them up immediately. Piper clung to Alex with all of her body and the brunette wrapped her arms around her slim torso. She could feel the blonde shivering despite the hot water falling over them. Alex knew she was crying. They both were. They were so close to loosing one another. Finally, the events and the emotions were catching up with them and all they could do was hold each other tight. That was all that they really needed. To have each other.

Alex, after several long minutes, slowly released Piper from her embrace. She didn't say anything. Instead, she took the wonderfully smelling shower gel from Popi and started to tenderly wash Piper's body. Slowly. Meticulously. Leaving light kisses here and there. When she was done, Piper did the same for her, spending equally long time cherishing the brunette's body. She wanted to be close to her. Feel that she was still right next to her.

Almost over an hour later, they finally managed to get into their bed, clad only in their bathrobes and even though Alex was equally exhausted like Piper, the brunette refused to fall asleep. She wanted to make sure that the blonde would not doze off.

It had already started to get light outside, the new day welcomed them with bright rays of sun. Piper had her head right next to Alex's. They were staring into each other's eyes, afraid to even blink. It was Piper who finally broke that trance as she cracked a huge enlightening grin towards her girlfriend, making the brunette's heart swell.

"Why are you baring your teeth like that?" She chuckled, making Piper's smile even wider.

"You're so beautiful." The blonde simply stated, the smile never leaving her lips.

"You can't see straight with that nose guard." Alex laughed.

"I'm gay, of course I can't see straight." Piper's eyebrows shot up, yet the smile remained and Alex just chuckled some more.

"You're beautiful too." The brunette smiled and kissed her nose. "In your own Batman way." She laughed mockingly, earning a shove into her ribs.

"Asshole." The blonde threw her a glare but Alex knew it was just for show.

"I'm your asshole. Deal with me." She pecked Piper's lips lightly and the blonde hugged her close.

"I love you." She whispered when she finally looked into Alex's eyes again.

"I love you too, kid." Alex kissed her forehead.

XxXxX

It had been two weeks since Alex had last been at work. Caputo had given her time off to look after Piper and have a little rest herself (she really did need that). He was aware that the whole police station had fucked up... big time. It almost got their best detective killed. Two weeks of freedom was the least they could do for her and this time around Alex used all the free time she was awarded. She had dropped by a few times, together with Piper, but it was just to give their statements.

"How did he know that I had asked for the DNA to be reexamined?" Alex asked her boss.

"The question is why did you do that without letting me know. Why did you lie to our technician? Why didn't you come with this directly to me?"

"Are you fucking kidding, Joe?" Alex was fuming. She could say whatever she wanted right now. They were in his office alone so all the curtsy was gone. She looked him straight in the eye. Her anger was rising every second. The fact that she herself had been put in danger didn't bother her at all. Her job came with such sacrifice and she had known that for years now. But Piper? She could not let that slide that easily.

"Alex, calm down."

"The hell I will." She fought hard not to rise her voice too much. She didn't really want her other colleagues to hear this conversation/quarrel. "How was that possible that Healy knew that the DNA from Mendez's case had been tested again? It wasn't even under that tag." She demanded and Caputo just took a deep breath.

"He had access to our database from his private laptop."

"Fuck."

"Indeed."

They looked at each other, not saying anything for a while.

"I guess I don't need to ask how he managed to get Mendez involved into all of this."

"I guess you don't have to ask, yeah."

"So what now?"

"He's facing life time, of course. Mendez walks free, of course. You get promoted, of course." Caputo recited, finally the corners of his lips lifting slightly, his eyes having a warmer glow. The one which appeared when he was happy about something.

"Of course..." Alex looked up in surprise. "Wait... What?"

"You heard me."

"Promoted?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Of course, sergeant."

"You're shitting me." Alex grinned.

"I shit you not, Vause." He grinned back.

XxXxX

On her way home, Alex got a bouquet of colorful daisies and a bottle of dry white wine. She wanted to surprise Piper with the good news but when she opened the door to their apartment she was the one whose jaw was left dropped to the ground. There were candles all over the place, leaving the whole area in warm glow. The table was set for two people and the smell of some delicious food made Alex's stomach grumble, reminding her how actually hungry she was.

She closed the door to their apartment quietly and hung her jacket on the coatrack, being extra careful not to disturb Piper who was now in the kitchen, stirring something in a pot. She looked totally focused on the task at her hand. There was a cook book opened next to her and it seemed that she was checking closely the next steps in preparing the dish. She was reading something quietly to herself and Alex found that unbelievably cute. The brunette smiled under her nose. It was clear that her girlfriend hadn't noticed her come back yet so she cleared her throat rather loudly to indicate that she was home. Ever since 'the Healy thing' Piper had been a little jumpy so Alex didn't want to surprise her and scare the shit out of her (like she had managed to do several times in those two weeks).

Upon hearing the little noise, Piper turned around and her face was broken in halves by a huge smile. She had been waiting for the brunette to come back home.

"Hey, Al." She crossed the remaining distance between them and locked her lips with her girlfriend's in a shot but sweet kiss. "How was your first day after the holiday?"

"Actually... Wonderful." The brunette grinned.

"Really?" Piper's face brightened up even more. "Do tell."

"You've got a sergeant in front of you." Alex beamed and Piper had to blink at least twice before the information finally sunk in.

"You're shitting me." She grinned.

"I shit you now. And I'm quoting Caputo, by the way." Alex laughed.

"Oh my God, Al... That's awesome! Congrats, baby." The blonde kissed those luscious lips again. This time letting herself taste them for a little longer and Alex was far from complaining.

"What are you cooking?" She finally asked after leaving a few pecks down Piper's neck.

"It's a surprise." Piper smiled.

"Should I be scared?" This earned Alex a shove in her ribs, of course, again.

"Stop being a smart ass and sit down by the table. It's almost ready."

Alex did as she was told. This time the food actually smelled heavenly and the brunette wondered whether it tasted equally well. Piper was famous for ruining even the simplest of dished but it seemed that tonight she had tried really hard to make the food eatable... for a change. When the blonde put everything on the table, it looked even better than it smelled.

"Who are you and what did you do with my girlfriend?" Alex asked mockingly when she saw all that was before her.

"You haven't even tasted it yet." Piper chuckled nervously but all stress, that the blonde was trying hard to suppress, was gone when she saw Alex's face upon taking the first bite. "What is it?" She looked at the brunette expectantly. "Too salty? Too spicy? Too yucky in general?" She asked half jokingly and half serious.

Alex opened her eyes and looked straight into the blues in front of her. "Pipes, this is..." She made the dramatic pause just for the effect before breaking in a huge smile. "... fucking delicious." She stated with a wicked grin. "How did you learn how to do this?" She took another bite. It really was exquisite.

"I just tried really hard not to confuse the recipe this time." Piper was obviously relieved that she didn't ruin the food, like she had so many times before. Her cooking skills were 'legendary' among their friends by now.

Alex looked around their apartment and pointed to all the candles surrounding them. "What's the occasion, Pipes?" She smiled at her girlfriend before her face dropped in worry. "Did I forget some anniversary?" She asked, surprise painting her gorgeous face, but Piper just chuckled.

"Well... No. Not really." She smiled sheepishly and it only made Alex more confused.

"Not really?" The brunette furrowed her eyebrows.

"It might be soon. It depends." Upon hearing those words Alex just stared at her, utter confusion just deepening, but before she could ask another silly question, Piper moved closer to her with her own chair. A small dark box was placed in front of Alex...

"What are you..." And yet again the brunette didn't have a chance to finish her question because Piper stood up suddenly, forcing Alex to look up in yet even bigger confusion. Piper knelled down and only then did the brunette's jaw truly drop. She was speechless upon what was unfolding in front of her.

"Sorry... I seem to get things completely wrong the more I try." She smiled nervously before taking one of Alex's hands into her own. She looked at her girlfriend and she could see a small smile forming on the brunette's lips, her green eyes shining with a little surprise and amusement at the same time. It made her own lips curl up a bit. "Alex Pearl Vause... Will you marry me?" She opened the small box.

Alex's eyes turned glassy and she let a small chuckle slip her lips. "What is this?" She asked, completely dumbfounded.

Piper rolled her eyes. "I thought I was being pretty specific just a second ago."

"Are you shitting me?" Alex laughed but the expression on her face clearly indicated that she was utterly moved. Something that Piper had rarely seen before. Never, actually. Not to that degree.

"Is that a yes or a no?" Piper chuckled. "Because now I'm getting a little confused here."

"What?" Alex's eyes snapped from the ring to Piper's face.

"What?" Piper mocked, still smiling and looking straight into Alex's eyes and the brunette finally laughed.

"Of course it's a yes, you goof." She pulled Piper onto her lap and kissed her thoroughly.

"You sure know how to confuse a girl, you asshole." The blonde chuckled when their lips finally parted.

"Yeah... Well... You just surprised me." Alex kissed her again. "And I'm really officially your asshole now." She grinned.

"Not yet."

"What do you mean not yet?" Alex's eyebrows rose.

"You must put the ring on."

"Oh, yeah... Right." The brunette chuckled when Piper put the little piece of jewelery onto her finger. "It's beautiful, Pipes." She looked up at her now fiancée, her eyes full of adoration.

"You're beautiful."

"Cheesy."

"You still love me."

"That I do." Alex grinned. "More than you will ever know."

"And that's where you're wrong. I think I already know."


	29. Epilogue

\- Epilogue -

It had taken the police and the prosecution a few months to finally close 'the Healy case'. Both Piper and Alex were forced to attend numerous interrogations and it infuriated the brunette. She didn't understand why the authorities would need so much to talk to them if they practically had everything in front of their eyes. On the other hand, maybe it was good that this time around the people working on the case were trying to make everything right and not giving Healy any chance of getting away with his hideous crimes.

Finally, after several long months, Healy was sentenced to prison for life. Finally, Alex's and Piper's lives could come back to normal. _Finally._

Thank God, Alex was kept busy with her own work on other crimes and incidents. That helped her deal with the whole situation and soon after the last court hearing, she realized that she was back to her normal self. Focusing on her work and making her personal life ordered again. She tried to be home more often (to Piper's delight) and on many occasions she and her now fiancée would go out with the bunch of her closest friends (to their common delight).

Piper was also keeping herself pretty busy. PoPi had blossomed day by day and finally it was making quite nice money for the blonde and Polly. Actually, it was going so good that they had to change the location of their company and were now running a normal shop. This fact filled Piper with hope that soon she would be able to show her parents that yes, indeed, Piper Chapman was able to look after herself pretty well.

The media attention to the Healy case caused part of that limelight to warm up Piper as well. On the day of her gallery opening, there were mad crowds. It was so crazy that some of them had to wait in front of the building for more than two hours just to be able to get in and see the exhibition. That first night the blonde sold three of her paintings and Alex couldn't be more proud.

After all the havoc of the past year, their life was finally turning to normal and both Alex and Piper couldn't be happier. What they really needed was just that: normalcy. For the first time in their lives they didn't find it boring. It was comforting. Warm and easy. Home.

 _ **2 years later**_

Warm flickers of sunlight were caressing her face and Piper just continued to lie in the bed enjoying the pleasant feeling. An arm was draped over her abdomen and a strong thigh was nestled between her legs, just lying there innocently, yet it managed to stir something in Piper. She smiled again when she felt Alex's soft breath on her own neck. The brunette was all around her and Piper marveled at how wonderful it was to wake up like that. Who knew Alex was such a cuddly teddy bear... The blonde chuckled to herself quietly, not wanting to wake the woman next to her up just yet (she knew that Alex was definitely not a morning person), but the slight movement of her giggling belly made the brunette move her hand closer to Piper's breast, landing her thumb now dangerously near her nipple, and the blonde had to stifle a moan that threatened to escape her mouth. She took a long steadying breath and almost laughed at herself for behaving like a horny teenager. It was silly that even Alex's sleeping form managed to turn her on, right? So what that they were lying naked in bed. Her gorgeous partner was still totally out, oblivious to the world around her. After another minute or two Piper felt Alex's thigh muscle flex excruciatingly close to her core and again she had to swallow hard to keep calm. She felt warmth creeping up her neck. _Jesus..._

She looked at the alarm clock standing on the bedside table. Not even 8 o'clock. _Fuck..._

Piper's eyes traveled to Alex's face. She could see her eyes moving under the lids and she wondered what the brunette was dreaming about. Probably something nice since her lips were slightly curved upwards. She looked utterly cute and Piper would be completely satisfied to be able to observe her just like that for an eternity... if her thoughts were not disturbed once again by Alex's flexing thigh, only this time her leg moved a bit up and now was lightly touching Piper's inner thigh right next to... _Ugh..._ The blonde tried to move away from Alex's grip, being extra careful not to wake her up. _This is ridiculous..._ Piper's frustration at herself grew by the minute.

Unfortunately for the younger woman, getting away from Alex proved to be far more difficult than she had anticipated. The moment Piper moved away from the brunette, Alex snuggled to her even closer, her grip tightening on Piper's torso. Her hand was now idly covering the blonde's right breast and all that Piper could do right now was slapping herself lightly on the forehead in frustration. _Jesus..._

The blonde looked at Alex's hand, the one holding her breast delicately, and she prayed to all gods that the woman wouldn't feel her nipple slowly rising to its full attention. So far the brunette seemed completely unaware of all the havoc she was causing. Piper took another deep breath. It was pretty clear by now that she wouldn't be able to get away from Alex, no matter how hard she tried. She looked again at her hand and a wide happy smile enlightened her young face. There it was. A little piece of gold, shining bright in the sun. A definite evidence that Alex was indeed only hers till the end of times. Piper didn't think that getting married would change anything between her and Alex but it turned out that she had been wrong. Somehow, ever since the wedding day, Piper felt more confident and at peace than she had ever felt before. _She's mine._ The smile on her face turned into a broad grin, so big that it made her cheeks hurt a little. That silly wedding band would never cease evoking the tingly feeling in her heart.

Her thoughts got interrupted again by the unexpected movement of Alex's leg. Suddenly, her thigh wasn't nestled between her legs anymore and Piper sighed in relief. Maybe now she would be able to calm her silly body down. And she did have a little peace of mind for a good half an hour... Until her wife stirred one more time. That calming feeling was gone the second Alex, in her sleep, moved her leg again. It was now hooked over Piper's lower abdomen in such a way that she could feel Alex's warm center pressing lightly onto her hipbone.

"Jesus fucking Christ..." Piper couldn't help voicing her thoughts this time. Even though she didn't say it all that loud, it turned out that it was enough to force Alex out of her slumber. Her hand gave Piper's breast a light squeeze before moving down onto the blonde's stomach where she started drawing little patterns on her skin.

"You awake?" Piper asked tentatively, her voice slightly shaky no matter how much she tried to calm herself down.

"Mhmm..." The brunette just murmured without lifting her head from Piper's chest. Her hand returned slowly to Piper's breast and squeezed it gently as if proving that, indeed, Alex was far from being sleep.

Upon feeling the more certain touch, Piper moaned loudly, no longer being able or having to conceal her state of arousal, and the sound only made Alex chuckle before she finally lifted her head to look in Piper's eyes, amusement clearly visible in her gorgeous green pools. The detective was aware that her blond beauty was highly receptive to her touch but never before had she been squirming so much upon a single, still fairly innocent, touch.

"Someone's pretty worked up this morning." She chuckled as she sucked shortly at Piper's pulse point. "Not that I mind." Alex's voice was full of mirth.

"It's all your fault." Piper's eyebrow furrowed as she looked down at her lover but her attempt at scolding only caused Alex to laugh more.

"My fault? I was sleeping, babe." She questioned when her giggles finally decreased enough to allow her to speak somewhat normally.

Piper just huffed in frustration. She actually wasn't in the mood for talking. She'd rather do some entirely different things... "Just look at yourself, at us." She indicated with her head and when Alex finally did take a look, she grinned like a Cheshire cat, her eyes turning a shade darker.

"Mmm... Guilty as charged then." She kissed Piper's lips as she moved her hips, dragging her warm center over Piper's hipbone and making the blonde moan once more. This was pure music to Alex's ears. She would never get tired of her wife's voice quivering with emotion and so much raw need. "On the other hand... I don't feel any guilt." She smirked down at Piper.

The goofy smile vanished from her lips when she moved her thigh more between Piper's legs. When she touched her pussy, she was almost shocked at how wet her wife was. She was dripping and being able to feel that scorching heat evoked a deep moan from Alex. Now it was her turn to tremble.

"Dear god... How long have you been like this?" She asked huskily as she sucked at Piper's earlobe but the blonde was beyond talking. Alex didn't really wait for an answer to be honest. She was too fascinated with Piper's reactions to her slightest touch. She started trailing kisses down her wife's neck and onto her collar bone, evoking a series of unintelligible pleas and gasps. She could see goosebumps on Piper's arms and the blonde's nipples were so stiff that they looked almost painful. Piper's extreme arousal made Alex's head spin and she started to lower her head to finally suck gently on one of the nipples.

Piper's hips buckled upon the touch. She tried to put her hand on Alex's head to keep her in place and continue her magical tricks but the brunette held her arms pinned to the bed. She turned her attention to the other nipple which had been begging for attention as well. As the time passed by, Alex could feel her own excitement rising. Actually it was sky-rocketing but she was trying very hard to ignore it and instead stay focused with all of her attentions on her wife.

After making sure that Piper's lovely breasts had received enough attentiveness from her skillful lips and tongue, Alex started moving her soft kisses and teasing licks downwards.

"Wait."

Alex lifted her head and looked down at her lover with surprise shining in her eyes, which had turned almost pitch black by now. "What is it?" She asked after placing a tender kiss on Piper's heaving chest.

"I want to see you." Piper whispered, her breath still short, as she pulled the brunette up so that she could look into her eyes. "I need to feel you, too." She breathed millimeters from her lips as she pulled Alex's hips, making her wife's center land on the blonde's thigh. A deep moan escaped Alex's throat, she shivered all over when she felt the skin to skin contact. She started moving her hips. Gently first but gaining in strength and speed as the time progressed. She knew it wouldn't take long for them to cross that magnificent border.

And, boy, was she right. Piper was first to reach her high but upon seeing that marvelous face with the look of sheer pleasure, Alex felt her own body shaking with tremendous force when wave after wave assaulted her body. Their shared orgasm seemed to go on forever as the brunette continued to lightly move her hips to prolong the almost painful pleasure. A few minutes passed by when she finally allowed herself to collapse gently onto her wife's body. Both of them a twitching sweaty mess.

They laughed tiredly and Alex kissed Piper's lips tenderly.

"You little somnophiliac." The brunette giggled when their lips finally separated.

"What? Why would you call me that?" Piper giggled back.

"Well I did manage to turn you on when I was practically unconscious." Alex couldn't help the laugh when she saw her wife's face turning bright red. "You look cute as a tomato." She kissed the tip of her nose.

Piper wanted to protest but she had to face the truth... Alex would be a major turn on for her even if she had been dressed in a trash bag, conscious or unconscious, in fact.

"Somnopilia is not my thing." She stated finally.

"Oh no?" Alex grinned down at her as she put some blond hair behind Piper's ear.

"Nope." Piper shook her head cutely. "I believe my disease is called Alexophilia." She chuckled.

Alex laughed before making a semi-serious face. "Is that curable?" She asked with fake concern.

"God, no." Piper giggled as she pulled the brunette into another kiss.

 _ **THE END**_

 _ **[I would like to thank everyone who has read this story. I'm really grateful for all the comments. They were really encouraging.**_

 _ **I also promise to write a sequel to this little story soon but for the time being I need to focus a little more on other things in my life. Also, there is another fic coming up. Still about Vauseman, but not about the detective version of Alex. ;)**_

 _ **Once again, thank you for all the support.]**_


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